Growing Pains
by chickypeg
Summary: A story of how the Red Clan copes with Anna's growing up (or how Anna copes with the Red Clan's coping of her growing up). A bit OOC. Contains romance (some IzumoxSerixReisi in later chapters), mystery and adventure as well as spoilers for the anime, manga, radio dramas and the novel. SEQUEL OUT.
1. Alm Uncle

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_Genre: General_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 1: Alm Uncle

The resounding ring of the bell echoed throughout the room when the door of the bar opened, momentarily distracting the bartender from his work of cleaning his precious glass. With the sun filtering from outside, Izumo could not immediately discern the two figures who entered.

The red haired king, Mikoto, however, did. His eyes narrowed, filled with distrust as two members of the blue clan joined him at the bar.

"Munakata," Mikoto almost growled. Munakata was somewhat his friend. Somewhat.

They respected each other. There was perhaps a bit of rivalry between them because neither would like to be bested by the other in anything.

While Mikoto focused his dislike toward the Blue King, Izumo frowned at the woman who had come in as well. It was the beautiful Seri Awashima.

The blonde sighed when she saw Izumo's expression. "Don't look so disappointed, Kusanagi. I am in formal attire today because the Blue King and I have come to make a formal request to the Red King,"

Before Izumo could respond to her, Mikoto, overhearing her, glanced at Munakata who was busy seating himself beside Mikoto. Seri sat beside Munakata.

"What do you want?" he demanded quietly, but in a clearly annoyed voice.

"No need to get so touchy, Suoh. We are only here out of concern for the little girl who is always with you," Munakata replied.

Izumo, who had been in the process of picking up a bottle of scotch that Munakata had pointed out, stiffened, surprised.

Mikoto ignored him for a moment to light a cigaratte. When it was stuck between his lips, he raised an eyebrow at Munakata.

"What concern could you possibly have about her?"

Mikoto proceeded to light his cigarette. He offered one to Munakata who took it and allowed Mikoto to flick his finger at the tip to light it using his power.

"Why hasn't Anna been enrolled into any school?" Munakata questioned.

Mikoto glanced at him while Izumo served Munakata a scotch on the rocks. "That's none of your business,"

"She is a girl, the only girl in your clan. Perhaps she should interact with members of her same gender. For her own sake, she should blend in with other people,"

"She has us and she is home-schooled. It is enough," Mikoto stated and blew out a puff of smoke. He was clearly irritated. Not many could notice that the Red King was, but Izumo knew him long enough to notice it.

The bartender proceeded to dump some red bean paste to the drink he was making for Seri, while suppressing a shudder at the thought of actually drinking red bean paste. It was not high on the list of things he wanted to try although Seri refused to drink anything without it.

"As if you barbarians could handle a teenager," Seri scoffed.

Mikoto and Izumo glared at her.

"Awashima-" Izumo began, but she returned an even more fierce glare than the other two.

Folding her arms, she stated, "I highly doubt you uncouth individuals told that child what's going to happen to her when she hits puberty!"

"She'll know when the time reaches-" Mikoto began.

"So you'll be the one to tell her about menstruation?"

Mikoto and Izumo went very still at her words.

"Who's going to her that she's going to be bleeding once every month from the-"

"You've made your point, Seri," Munakata stated, amusement clearly in his eyes at the sight of the paleness of the skin of the two powerful members of the Red Clan.

Izumo poured himself a drink and Mikoto finished his cigarette and started another one before any response was given to the Scepter 4 members.

"We will sort it out. Anna is very attached to the king and rarely ever leaves his side. To have her leave-"

"So who's going to have the sex talk with her?" Munakata asked, smirking.

Once more, the other two men stiffened.

"S-Sex talk?" Izumo stuttered, shocked, baffled.

"Well of course: if you don't send her to school, then someone has to tell her about it," Seri pointed out. "After all," she continued as the two men paled again, "she's the only female among a bunch of males, and she going to be a very attractive young woman with that doll face of hers. She will become curious about her sexual being, and will want to experiment. There will be many available options for her to experiment with considering the fact that she is growing up only among males who will more than likely become attracted to her."

Mikoto, who had gone ghostly white before, suddenly began emitting a dangerous red aura.

"Experiment? With Anna?" he stated coldly, almost frighteningly. He shot them both looks that would make a ferocious bear cower in fright. "No one will touch her. Ever."

"Your attachment to her, and her attachment to you is a bit disturbing, Suoh. She cannot continue to cling to you. You must agree that she needs to grow on her own to blossom to her full potential, instead of using you as something to hold onto and shield her from the world."

Mikoto crushed his cigarette into the ashtray before him. "Munakata, you are pushing it with me."

"I apologize, Suoh, although you must admit that there is some merit to what I am saying."

Munakata stood up and dropped some money on the counter to cover for his and his subordinate's drink. He also held out a card to Mikoto.

"This is a number for schools that specialize with training strains, it may-"

"If she goes to any school, we will find one." Mikoto answered.

Munakata sighed, but smiled as he tucked away his card in his blue uniform.

"Very well. I think it's time we took our leave," He motioned for Seri to come.

"Munakata," Mikoto voiced his colleague's name.

"Yes?"

"Why do you care?"

Seri was the one to answer him, "It is because I do, and I thought bringing him along might help to convince you,"

The men from the Red clan were surprised.

She shrugged, a slight blush on her cheeks, "She's cute and very feminine, and I cannot bear to see her loose her female qualities because she lives with a bunch of barbarians. She is delicate and should be allowed to flourish evolve like the pretty little butterfly that she is."

Turning away, she allowed for Munakata to lead her away to the door and open it for her.

Mikoto simply glared when Munakata smiled in goodbye to him before going. The bastard was obviously reeling with laughter over the idea of Mikoto explaining periods and sex to a pre-adolescent _girl_. He had only come to see Mikoto's reactions to Seri's words, not because she had actually asked him to go with him to do any convincing.

"Wow. I had no idea that that cold hearted woman liked cute things,"

Mikoto turned to Izumo and scoffed, "Don't all women?"

"Even Anna, eh?" Izumo murmured thoughtfully at the girls love for pretty ribbons and the way her eyes lit up over some of the stray cats and dogs (and horses) some of the members picked up.

"What are we going to do?" Mikoto asked him. He was obviously at a loss because there were things that he, as mighty a king as he was, simply could not do. Especially when it came to children-_female_ children.

Had Anna been a normal child, he would never have been able to get along with her.

However, she had the maturity of someone decades older and therefore he managed well with her. It was like having a mini-adult around.

But Anna was getting older. She was getting taller. Soon she would develop curves and-

"Bras," Izumo suddenly said. His mouth was open and he was frightened at the thoughts he was suddenly having.

Mikoto looked up at him sharply.

"What the hell are you talking about Izumo?"

"Who's going to shop for bras for her?" he demanded, fearful.

Mikoto almost groaned. He rubbed his hands over his face in frustration. For a moment he wished he could see Totsuka to smack him on the back of his head for dying. These were things they could have counted on him for. He had been Anna's caretaker after all: babysitter, tutor, tailor, cook, butler, playmate. He used to do all he could for Anna.

A wave of sadness washed over Mikoto then, as he recalled what it was like having Totsuka around. He was still missed. It was only six months after his death, and the sadness of it would linger for many years to come.

Mikoto sighed, pushing thoughts of their comrade to the back of his mind. Anna's welfare was of utmost importance.

"Isn't Kamamoto the one who took full reign of her care since Totsuka died?"

"Yeah. I think Yata once called him a mom,"

"He'll shop for bras with her,"

"Okay,"

"We'll find some trustworthy female to speak to Anna about...about..._that_," Mikoto said, not quite able to spit out the words.

"Which that?"

"What do you mean 'which that'? That _that_," Mikoto growled.

"What do _you_ mean 'that that'? Period, sex or both?" Izumo snapped.

"Period damn it!" Mikoto almost shouted. He hadn't raised his voice in a while, but he was so tense with the situation and how uncomfortable it was that he found himself doing so. "Get that annoying woman from the Blue clan to explain to her since she seems to care so much!"

izumo nodded. It was a plan. A strange one, but a plan indeed. "Okay, the sex talk. Who's gonna do it?"

"You are." Mikoto stated.

"What? No way!"

"Yes you will! I am your King and you will obey me!"

"You never cared about whether or not I obeyed you before. No way in hell am I gonna do that! You do it!"

"I will not do it!"

"Someone has to and it's not gonna be me!"

"Well it's not going to be me either!"

Somehow in the argument, both men ended up grabbing each other's collars, in an attempt to ruffle each other into having the talk with Anna.

They both suddenly remembered that they had to do this for Anna. She had lost her parents at a young age. Then, two years ago, her aunt who had cared for her, had had a child of her own and seemed to stop caring for her, leaving Anna to become completely reliant on the members of Homra as a source of support and family unit. To ask the aunt for help in such a situation could damage Anna's tender feelings. Then, only a few months ago, Totsuka, the one who cared for Anna so much, who she confided in, died. They needed to do this for her. She was their little princess. Her innocence in itself offered some light in the darkened individual lives of the members of the Red Clan.

Especially Mikoto's.

The two men released each other. "I'll do it. She might hold my words better as truth, in the event that she does become tempted to 'experiment'" Mikoto spat out the last word, because the idea of Anna 'experimenting' with anyone was distasteful and disturbing to him.

So, Mikoto Suoh, twenty four years, the powerful King of the Red Clan, was going to be a counsellor to an eleven year old child in terms of advising her about sex.

Oh this was disturbing. Disturbing indeed, Izumo thought.

The idea of Munakata and Seri coming to convince Mikoto to send Anna to school reminded him of a childhood story. Izumo chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Mikoto asked.

"You remind me of Alm Uncle,"

"Who the hell is Alm Uncle?"

"He's from a children's story I read when I was little: Alm Uncle was talking care of his granddaughter who was orphaned at a young age. He lived high up on the mountains, away from civilization, and when the time came for her to go to school, he was reluctant to do so. Villagers who knew of Heidi-the granddaughter, travelled up the mountain to demand that he send her to school. Just like how those Blues were telling you to send her to school,"

Mikoto muttered something under his breath. Alm Uncle or not, he was going to have a talk with Anna...one that he was quite certain was going to be more uncomfortable for him than it was going to be for her.


	2. The Talk

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving. I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Thank you for the reviews on the previous chapter, they were much appreciated. _

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna (or should it be how Anna copes with the Red Clan trying to cope with her growing up?)_

_Genre: General_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 2: The Talk

Two ashtrays were on his beloved counter. They were overflowing to the brim. Black ash fell from them, dirtying the smooth wood of his precious, precious bar. But Izumo said nothing to the man responsible for his dirty counter. He understood the stress of the situation. He would be rather insensitive if he were to scold Mikoto for marring the surface of his treasured property with cigarette ash.

Besides, he was quite sure that Mikoto would attack him if he were to open his mouth because the king was so unnerved by the talk he was going to have with Anna that he could trip off for the slightest reason.

Mikoto was opening a new pack of cigarettes. Behind him, Yata and some of the other members of Homra had moved aside the furniture in order to show their youngest, and only female member how to skateboard.

Anna, with her long silvery white hair and grey eyes was standing on a skateboard, held up under her arms by Yata who was instructing her on how to keep her balance on the four wheeled contraption. Anna had taken off her red shoes and wore only her stockings on her feet as she attempted to skate.

"You can do it, Anna!" some of the members encouraged her.

Anna was trying her very hardest to concentrate. The heavy layers of her dress were bothersome when trying to skate. But that was not what made it so difficult for her to keep her balance; it was because her thoughts were on the man who was sitting behind the counter, emptying yet another packet of cigarettes.

He could mask his feelings to the others, but he could not hide them from her. After all, she knew him far too long to not be able to read his expressions.

She had not been listening to Yata because her thoughts were so focused on Mikoto, so when he said that he was letting her go, it came as a surprise, and immediately, she slipped from the skateboard, about to fall back. Yata was within good reaching to grab her, but before he could, someone else caught her. Anna gasped in surprise when she felt the familiar comfortable warmth of Mikoto's arm around her shoulders. She caught the scent of tobacco and looked up into those golden eyes of his, framed by two spikes of red hair.

She thought he would let her go and let her go back to playing with the others, but he grabbed her by the back of the neckline of her dress instead and lifted her off the ground. It was something she didn't particularly like him doing. It made her feel like a puppy who was being carried by the scruff of its neck by its mother.

Or father in this case.

But could Mikoto really be described as being fatherly toward her? No, the answer was absolutely no. He was her most important person, however, and it was at his side she felt the most comfortable and safest-even when he held her by the back of her dress. Maybe he could pass for a big brother, she decided. Then again, all the guys in Homra were like her big brothers.

Everyone was a bit startled to see Mikoto there. Usually he left them to their own devices. However, this was the first time that there was an accident in the bar with Anna involved. Although she was unharmed, and Mikoto usually seemed to not be concerned about her, they knew he was very protective of the child.

They also seemed to be aware that he was very tense.

"Eh...Mikoto-san, are you alright?" Yata asked tentatively.

"Play with your skateboard outside before Izumo gets angry," Mikoto told him.

"What about Anna?" Yata pressed, wondering if he should apologize for making her fall.

"She will stay inside. Her clothes are not appropriate to be skateboarding with," Mikoto replied.

"I could change," Anna said.

Mikoto placed his free hand on his hip and lifted an eyebrow at her. "Do you have anything better to change into?"

Anna frowned. She honestly did not think she did.

Neither did Mikoto.

Neither did Izumo know because he shrugged at them when they looked to him for answers.

Mikoto sighed wearily. "Out, the rest of you," he ordered.

They listened to him and left while Mikoto carried Anna to the bar and set her on a stool.

"Where are your shoes?" Izumo asked her as he set a glass of orange juice in front of her.

She pointed to the couch where the pair of shiny shoes sat.

"Were you having fun, Anna?" Izumo asked.

She nodded and took a sip of the juice from the straw in the tall glass set before her. She frowned. This was her favorite brand. She became suspicious when Izumo placed some of his very expensive cookies before her. He only gave her those on rare occasions.

'Rare occasions' meant pure bribery. Like when he wanted her to go to bed early instead of hanging around the bar because the guys wanted to watch some rated movie, he would promise her to give her three.

He gave her four of the cookies to go up early when he was expecting the woman from the Blue clan who liked red bean paste in her drinks. She could sense that they were trying to make her feel at ease, while at the same time, trying their best to block her from their minds. That was what made her uneasy and a little afraid. They rarely attempted to block their thoughts from her. Her powers had developed over the past few months, making it easier for her to pick up on the thoughts of others without having to use her red marbles. She therefore did not need them to realize that they were trying to block her out.

Were they angry at her? Did she do something wrong?

Why would they try to block their thoughts from her?

"What have I done?" she asked.

"Nothing at all, Anna!" Izumo replied, and laughed uncomfortably.

Beside her, Mikoto pulled out another cigarette.

Anna became annoyed. "You're lying,"

"He isn't," Mikoto told her.

She immediately accepted Mikoto's words as the truth, and waited for Izumo to explain further.

"You see, Anna, you're getting a bit older and there are things we need to tell you that is going to be really difficult for us,"

"Why would it be difficult for you?" she asked innocently.

"Because we're men, we're different from you," Izumo answered. Then he turned to Mikoto, glaring. "Why are you so silent? Aren't you the one having the talk with her?"

Mikoto's teeth clenched down on the cigarette, bursting the filter and causing the nasty stuff on the inside to touch his tongue. He immediately spat it out and wiped his mouth.

"Give me something strong and then I will tell her," Mikoto growled. Izumo immediately complied and reached for a very strong bottle of rum.

Anna did not say anything. She was very curious as to what could make these two so uncomfortable around her, especially Mikoto. It was very worrying. However, she waited patiently, and watched with surprise as Mikoto swallowed the alcohol in a shot glass in one go.

He slumped over the bar. The blockades around his mind began to loosen because of the alcohol.

Then he took a deep breath and turned to Anna. "Anna...you are going to be a twelve in December,"

"Yes,"

"And the next year you are going to be thirteen,"

"Yes,"

"And you will be a teenager,"

"Yes,"

Mikoto stopped and turned to the other shot Izumo had poured for him. He threw back the alcohol and then turned to her again.

Despite the alcohol and cigarettes, Mikoto seemed to be completely sober. However, it was no longer easy for him to block his thoughts. The alcohol was already moving through his system. It seemed he needed it to gather courage to speak whatever was on his mind to her. 'Courage from a bottle' some called it.

"Anna, your body...is gonna change,"

Mikoto visibly blanched. Anna could see his thoughts with her power. It seemed that thoughts about Anna's body changing bothered him. The words, '_Anna with boobs_' seemed to ring out.

"What are boobs? Why do they upset you?" she couldn't help but ask because she was so worried.

Mikoto and Izumo let out loud groans at her words.

"Anna, it's your chest-it's going to grow," Izumo answered her, realizing she had read Mikoto's thoughts.

Anna automatically looked down at her very flat chest. Then she looked up at Izumo. "Breasts?"

"Yes!" both men answered exasperatedly.

"You're angry because my breasts will grow?" she asked.

'_Oh God, we are not having this discussion. I am not discussing breasts with Anna_' Mikoto's thoughts seemed to shout at Anna.

Mikoto had another shot before turning to her. "Anna, men will try to touch you there,"

"Yes, my parents and my aunt warned me not to let anyone touch me...in certain areas," Anna informed them, a bit uncomfortably. It seemed that this was getting to be embarrassing to her as well.

Of course she would have been warned against dirty pedophiles. But she was not informed about what exactly it was in the world of adults.

"Anna, more people will try to touch you when you start growing," Mikoto tried to explain. Anna saw the images that seemed to be tumbling out of his mind: Anna on the skateboard like earlier, with Yata holding her, his hands on her chest though...but a much larger chest.

It seemed to get him even angrier. "You cannot let anyone touch you," he said angrily, glaring at her. "no one is to touch you like that, Anna."

"Mikoto, she has already been warned against perverts. You are supposed to explain what sex is to her," Izumo pointed out.

"'Sex'? What is sex?" Anna asked, genuinely curious now. She had heard the word 'sex' occasionally in the bar, but usually Izumo, or Totsuka when he was alive, used to cover her ears so that she would not hear whatever it was they were talking about. It seemed to be something funny because everyone would laugh about it.

"Um...it's something nice to do with the person you like," Izumo answered with an uneasy smile.

"Izumo!" Mikoto snapped.

Both Anna and Izumo jumped. Anna had never heard Mikoto get angry like that. '_Izumo, you ass! What if she decides to go on and do it with some stranger? Anna cannot-'_

"So I can have sex with Mikoto?" Anna asked innocently assuming that because she knew him and liked him, then there could be 'sex' between them.

Mikoto slapped his forehead in aggravation while Izumo's mouth dropped open in horror.

It was even worse because Yata, Kamamoto and Chitose chose to enter into the bar the moment Anna spoke those words.

The expressions of those three mirrored that of their favorite bartender.

Mikoto took a deep drag from another cigarette.

"No, that's not what it means,"

"What heck are you telling Anna?" Yata demanded.

There were shouts coming from the other two with him, as they were clearly baffled about why their pure, innocent Anna was asking such things of awesome king. He was no damned pedophile!

However, Anna and Mikoto ignored them. Images from Mikoto's mind unintentionally spilled to hers. There were images of her hugging some unnamed person, whose face she could not see, hugging a taller, curvier version of herself. Then that person moving to kiss her on the cheek.

'_Some bastard is going to want to have sex with Anna. That cannot happen!_' Mikoto's thoughts were. He seemed to be imagining what could conspire between her and a random stranger and seemed to be limiting his thoughts to cheek kissing, as if anything beyond that would be utterly terrifying.

"Izumo, please do not give Mikoto anymore alcohol. Give him some water instead," Anna told Izumo.

Izumo nodded and poured a glass of water for him while Mikoto tried yet again to explain to Anna, "You need to understand what it is, so that I can beat up the person who tries to have sex with you," Mikoto informed her with a very straight face. Despite still looking sober, his words revealed that he clearly was not. Mikoto would never say these things in his right mind.

The red she could see on his body had become darker due to the alcohol. The more alcohol in his system, the darker the color got.

Anna was familiar with this, and it was the first time since Tatara had died that she saw such a dark red on Mikoto. He had been extremely drunk for a week around that time. The rum he was now taking in shots was truly very strong.

Yata, Kamamoto and Chitose had quieted down because they were interested in the current situation.

"Why can't I have sex with anyone?" Anna asked him.

"Because you are too young and unmarried,"

"So I need to be married to have sex?"

"Yes,"

Anna titled her head to her side. Then she raised her hands to Mikoto's face and pulled it down to hers. She gently pressed her lips to his warm cheek.

Mikoto was surprised and drew back, giving her a confused look. "Anna?"

"Is that sex?" Her mother and father used to kiss her cheek in affection when they were alive, so what was wrong if she had 'sex' with Mikoto too?

Surprised now, he replied, "No,"

Well, that made sense, so what exactly was sex then? she wondered.

"But that's what I saw from your mind," she said.

"Stop reading my thoughts," Mikoto ordered her.

"The alcohol you drank is making it easy for you to project them onto me,"

Mikoto sighed and drank his water. It flooded his system, lightening the red she could see. It seemed he was sobering up very quickly. It was something she had always noted: Mikoto could sober up from any alcoholic intake by simply drinking water. Maybe it was because he was a king he returned to normal so quickly.

He crushed his cigarette in the ashtray and motioned for Izumo to give him more water.

Mikoto decided to start over. "Anna...there's that part of your body that makes you a...girl, right?"

Anna's cheeks went red. "Well...yeah,"

With a voice as calm and clear as he could make it, Mikoto questioned, "Do you know what part that is?"

"Yes," Anna did not like where this was going.

"Well...guys have a different part that makes them guys. It...looks different too," It took all Mikoto had to not choke on the water he was drinking. He could not believe that he was talking to Anna about this.

Damn it, this was too uncomfortable! Mikoto suddenly felt like hundreds of hairy spiders were crawling on him, making him shiver and shudder. He wanted to throw up. No. Just no! It wasn't possible. He absolutely COULD NOT do it. It just wasn't possible!

He could cut a twenty story building in half with a flick of his wrist, but he could not speak to Anna about this. It made him sick to his stomach.

"I'm sorry," he apologized to her with a weary sigh.

"What for?" Anna asked.

"Because I tried to explain something that is uncomfortable for us both. I am the wrong person to do it,"

"To tell me about sex?"

"Yes," He turned to three members of his clan who were listening intently, "unless you three want to educate her about it."

All three shook their heads quickly, definitely not wanting to.

Mikoto looked at Anna. "Anna, you will have to go to school,"

Anna's eyes widened in surprise. "For sex?"

"No!" everyone in the room shouted.

She looked down unhappily. "Then why?" she asked softly.

Mikoto understood. She was wondering if it was that they were tired of her, that they wanted her to go. That perhaps she had become a burden to them and that she was in their way, especially his.

Mikoto gently placed a comforting hand on the top of her head.

Her eyes lifted and he removed his hand. "Mikoto?"

"There are things you need to learn as a person that Homra cannot teach you here. Some of these things you need to learn from others, but most of it, you need to learn on your own."

"Am I a burden?"

"No, but you need to be self reliant. There will come a time when none of us may be able to protect you. You need to learn to protect yourself. Your safety will be compromised if it is assumed that everyone here is always going to be able to protect you,"

Izumo continued with Mikoto's words. "You will also be lonely from September. Eric was your last tutor, but he will be going off to college along with Kamamoto and Yata. I'm busy working and Mikoto has his duties as king. It would be best if you went to school got along with other kids your age,"

Anna nodded.

She did not want to go, but because it was what Mikoto wanted, she would accept it.

"Go get ready for bed early. There's someone who will come to speak to you, and you will go to sleep after she talks to you," Izumo told her.

School would start in September, and could be too late to let Anna know what was going to happen to her body, and the impact the changes would have on her and those around her in the event she went into puberty early. It was important to inform Anna about these things as soon as possible and Seri was a reliable enough person to let the young girl know about what was going to happen.

Anna nodded again at Izumo's words, and was about to hop off her stool with a soft 'goodnight'.

"Wait Anna," Izumo interrupted her.

She stopped and looked at him. "Perhaps you should give Mikoto a goodnight kiss, like what you thought was sex,"

Mikoto glared at Izumo for the last part, but allowed for Anna's lips to gently brush his cheek. He felt her tiny hands on his face, and her soft silky hair brush against his nose. It softened something inside him. Or rather, she had already softened a part of him, and that little action made him melt a little more.

Her cheeks were a little red when she drew back and she quickly hopped off her stool and ran upstairs.

"Ah, she's a little embarrassed," Izumo commented.

"That was awkward," Chitose muttered to the others. They nodded in agreement. From the moment they walked in and heard Anna ask Mikoto if they would have sex, to the second time she kissed him on the cheek had been totally and utterly bewildering to them. It was the first time they actually saw Mikoto and Anna have a conversation that was more than a minute long.

Mikoto usually didn't say a word to her, but allowed her to be near him, even sleep in the same bed with him. He would allow her to touch him, but would never touch her intentionally himself. Izumo and Yata who had been a part of the clan for so long, knew that Mikoto was no good at expressing his feelings. However, they knew that what he felt, he expressed in subtle, but honest ways. His accepting of Anna's presence and never pushing her away, as well as his desire to protect her spoke volumes about how much she meant to him, just as much as her desire to be near him displayed how much he meant to her.

* * *

_A/N: Reviews are welcome :)_


	3. A Discussion

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving. I also apologize for any grammatical errors I did not pick up on._

_Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciated them! And a big thanks to all who favorited and followed the story! :)_

_I also changed my user name because it was not as unique as I thought. It may change again._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_Genre: General_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 3: A Discussion

"Awashima will be here in about thirty minutes," Izumo informed Anna and Mikoto after he hung up the call on his mobile phone.

They looked at him from across the bar counter and nodded. Anna was dressed in a light red long sleeved nightdress that had a black ribbon tied to the bodice. Kamamoto was behind her, combing her long hair with a silver handled brush as she sat on a tall barstool. Kamamoto had started loosing weight, and had gradually returned to a more attractive body size. As such, more women flocked to him, delighting in his deep yellow hair and calling his matching colored goatee 'rugged' and 'sexy'.

He had also become somewhat vain and he and Chitose would have arguments over who had more ladies fighting over them.

"What are you thinking about?" Izumo asked quietly, noting the tension on his king's face by the slight twitching of his red eyebrows.

"Kamamoto will not go bra shopping for Anna," Mikoto answered softly, so that only Izumo heard him and not the other two.

It was only these four in the bar at the moment.

Mikoto's hands itched for another cigarette. He pushed his hand with the silver metal bands into his jeans pocket and pulled out a brand new pack.

He sighed with relief when he was finally able to take a nice long drag from one after lighting it. He blew out a puff of smoke just as Kamamoto finished Anna's hair.

Anna thanked him quietly and hopped off her stool to sit on the one next to Mikoto.

"I'm surprised you took the advice of those Blues, and that you're even letting one of them talk to Anna," Kamamoto said to Mikoto.

Mikoto merely smirked around his cigarette. "Only a fool would trust them,"

"Then why are you entrusting Anna to one them?" Kamamoto demanded.

"Because Anna will be able to find out their true intentions for us," Izumo answered.

"True intentions?"

Kamamoto had an idea of what had happened because word had gotten around to the rest of members of Homra about Scepter 4's visit and their 'concerns' about Anna.

"Yes. I suspect that Awashima has taken a strong liking toward Anna and would like to have her to herself," Izumo explained as he recalled how often Anna had become a topic in their conversations during her visits to the bar.

Kamamoto still did not understand. "What do you mean by that?"

Izumo reached over the counter and patted Anna's head gently. "Because Anna is so cute, no one can resist her. Especially women. I've had experiences where women have approached me and said they wished they had a little sister or a daughter as cute as Anna to spoil," Izumo removed his hand. Even the rough men of Homra were robbed of their manliness when they saw Anna. The reason why they were never able to hog her and coddle her like a baby sister was because she chose to spend most of her time with Mikoto.

Izumo continued his explanation, "That heartless woman does not think that Anna deserves to be among us, although it is by Anna's own choice that she is here. I believe she will try her best to lead Anna away from us to Scepter 4,"

"But why would the Blue King allow that? Does he like Anna that much too?"

"Maybe he does, but there is the added benefit is Anna's powers. Even for a strain, they are unique and they have been growing," Izumo replied.

"But how could they know of Anna's powers? I thought that you took all of the documents with information about Anna when she joined Homra so that no one else but you, Tatara and Mikoto-san would have access to them."

Mikoto grunted. "That King of the Blue Clan is a shrewd one," he stated.

Izumo elaborated Mikoto's words, "He probably spent a lot of time making profiles on our top members, including Anna because she is a strain,"

"That guy has some strange hobbies," Kamamoto muttered, wondering if the Blue King had nothing better to do in his free time.

Anna already understood what she had to do when Seri came by.

Kamamoto continued to ask Izumo questions. "But if you trust them so little, why are you letting that woman discuss with Anna such sensitive topics? Is really that important to figure out what they are up to?"

"There are other options available, but the sooner Anna is given that 'talk'," Izumo cleared his throat. He was very grateful that he was not the one having to do it. "the better for her. Awashima likes Anna enough to make her understand."

"In other words, you will be using her to give Anna a talk none of us can while having a hidden agenda attached to it because she has a hidden motive as well?" Kamamoto said.

"Something like that. You know, 'killing two birds with one stone': help Anna understand growing up by using Awashima, and have Anna figure out the Blue Clan's real intentions at the same time,"

"But won't they know that we would be suspicious of them?"

"They believe we are too barbaric and dense to not have any other options but seek them out," Mikoto answered. There was a ghost of an evil smile on his face. He would love to see Reisi Munakata's face when he realized how much he had truly underestimated the Red Clan again.

Besides that, Mikoto was still upset about Reisi having a good laugh over their discomfort the other day. Mikoto was aghast because of all the people to see him so bothered, it had to be the Blue King. Payback, the bastard was going to get payback, Mikoto thought, laughing gleefully in his mind, but kept a neutral face on at the same time.

"Is it alright to use Anna get the information though? It seems kind of low to use a little girl's looks to get information," Kamamoto pointed out.

"I don't mind," Anna said.

Izumo shrugged, "See? She's fine with it. It's just this once Kamamoto, and Anna will be safe. Besides, she doesn't need to act cute because she naturally is, and we need this information to ensure her safety. It is the easiest option we have,"

"And school? Are you really going to send Anna to school?" Kamamoto questioned.

"We have no choice, Kamamoto. A lot of things happened at the end of last year and it seems that we have forgotten that Anna is growing up. Soon she will no longer be a child. She needs to interact with people outside of the clan,"

Izumo cast Anna a sad look while she remained blank of any expression.

"As difficult as it is to admit, Awashima was right,"

"So you will send her to the school they were proposing?"

Both Izumo and Mikoto gave sly grins then. Kamamoto immediately knew he was not going to get any answers from them. He had to observe what they were going to do.

A thought suddenly crossed his mind. "Hey Izumo-san. What exactly is your relationship with that woman-Awashima?"

Izumo looked thoughtful. "We're...friends?"

"Friends? But you don't trust her,"

"Not when it comes to issues about the clans," Izumo stated firmly. That was where there was a strong boundary in their friendship. Both knew that they could have an occasional drink together, but at the end of the day, their loyalties remained with their respective clan.

It was an interesting sort of friendship too: they remained friends even when they pulled shady tricks over each other.

* * *

Seri was dressed in a short black skirt and a cream colored top when she visited. Her hair was loose, falling to her shoulders and her ears were adorned with pearls that matched her necklace. She walked gracefully and her oversized chest bounced with every movement.

Mikoto found that she positively _stank_ of perfume. He never could stand women who drowned themselves in those expensive, commercialized junk products. He only hoped that Anna did not become like that. She always smelled like pure spring water on a cool day. She was real, fresh and natural.

"Good evening, gentlemen," Seri greeted them. Then she turned to Anna-the child she had been gushing to Izumo about over the past few months whenever she visited the bar. "And hello to you, little one,"

She smiled kindly to Anna.

Anna merely looked at her blankly.

Izumo noted it and poked her to get her act together and welcome the woman.

Anna glanced at him, then at Mikoto, whose head was bowed with a cigarette in his mouth. She let out a weary breath and hopped off her stool. She looked up at the much taller woman. Then she clasped her hands together in front of her and bowed slightly and spoke in her soft, soothing child voice:

"Good evening, Awashima-san. Izumo has told me that you have come to discuss something important with me. I am very grateful,"

When she straightened, Seri had her hands over her mouth, a blush on her cheeks and stars in her eyes. She removed her hand from her mouth and exclaimed, "You are so cute! Just like a doll!"

Then, she cleared her throat and composed herself. She bowed slightly and replied, "I am delighted to be the one to speak to you about this, Anna-chan. Perhaps we can go somewhere more private?"

_'Charm her with your looks and actions, kiddo_' had been Izumo's words of advice to her. Anna needed to discover if the plan of Scepter 4 was truly to lure her away.

Anna gently took Seri's hand in her own. "Come with me, Awashima-san,"

Seri allowed herself to be led away by the very adorable child.

* * *

Anna and Seri were in the sitting room which was in a room to the back of the bar. The doors were closed. Yata, Shohei and Fujishima had their ears pressed against it.

Mikoto was sitting behind the counter of the bar, drinking water while Izumo was getting his favorite glasses all shiny using a special solvent on a silky cloth to keep them scratch free and crystal clear. Chitose had come in a few minutes before and sat nearby, smoking.

"None of you wanted to talk to Anna about puberty and here you all are trying to hear what someone else is saying to her about it," Izumo commented.

Yata turned to him. "Puberty?! I thought it was sex!" He scooted away from the door quickly with the other two following closely behind.

"Well both. They are a bit linked you know,"

"I don't want to hear about puberty!" Yata grumbled as he sank into a chair next to Chitose.

Shohei and Fujishima sat at a table and proceeded to play cards with a deck that had been lying on it.

Eric who entered the bar at the same time, said in english, "_Perhaps you should pay attention, Chihuahua, since you didn't go through it_,"

"You bastard! I don't know what you said, but I know it was an insult!"

"Eric, that wasn't nice," Izumo chided him.

"He wasn't nice to me yesterday," Eric argued, despite looking a little ashamed.

Izumo sighed and went back to cleaning his glass. He wouldn't intervene in their childish squabbles this time. Thoughts about having Seri re-educate them about puberty crossed his mind since they frequently behaved more like bratty toddlers at Homra than adults.

"She was talking about ovaries and eggs getting fertilized," Shohei said and shuddered as he dealt the cards.

Fujishima suppressed a shudder of his own. It sounded too much like biology for them.

"What did you expect her to tell Anna?" Yata demanded. After all, she was explaining the entire concept of sex in plainly scientific terms. They couldn't expect the lady to tell 11 year old Anna what sex was using the common day adult 'pet names' people had for their sexual organs. That would just be perverted and wrong.

"I guess explaining it that way makes it boring," Fujishima commented as he picked up his cards.

"It's probably better that way. Hard to imagine a subtle way of telling Anna that some guy is going to want to shove his penis inside her one day," Chitose agreed.

However, everyone felt sickened at his words, even Chitose himself.

"I never want to think about that," Chitose groaned and slouched over the counter of the bar with his head in his hands. Izumo quickly grabbed the glass from that Mikoto had in his hand because he was clenching it tightly enough to shatter it.

Everyone murmured in agreement with Chitose, because no one, absolutely no one, wanted to picture their little princess as the victim of some 'predator's' sexual appetite. Whether or not she agreed to have sex, and whether or not she was enjoying it, would still make the person she did it with a predator in the eyes of the members of Homra.

It was pure blasphemy to them.

* * *

Anna kept a neutral face on as Seri continued her counseling of the young girl. "It hurts the first time, and you need to be more mature, but not just physically, but spiritually, mentally and emotionally as well,"

"So I don't need to be married to have sex?"

"No, but I would advise you have sex only with the person you marry," Seri told her.

"Mikoto told me that I could have sex when I was older and married,"

"He probably said that to protect you,"

Those words had a huge impact on Anna and her cheeks reddened slightly with the knowledge that he wanted to protect her.

Anna had learned a lot from Seri, and she understood why Mikoto had been so uncomfortable talking to her about it. However, when Seri showed her the pictures of how the insides of a woman looked when a guy had his thing inside her, she whitened in shocked. When she heard that the first time meant that her hymen would burst (after learning what it was, and that such a thing existed inside of her, together with a uterus and other freakish things), she became troubled, especially when she saw the 'graphic images' of the body parts.

The pictures, although they were merely drawings done by illustrators of biology textbooks, seemed to traumatize her. It took all Anna had to not run away in terror.

"I know you are a strain, and it is a good thing that Izumo let me speak to you soon because strains can enter into puberty a bit earlier than others. Most girls menstruate by age twelve or thirteen, but I know some strains who start between the ten and twelve,"

Anna calmed a bit with the change of topic.

Anna nodded. Her chest had begun hurting quite a while now, and she had been too embarrassed to tell anyone about it. She was relieved to know that it was actually her breasts growing with the onset of puberty.

Seri had given her a list of all the symptoms of it. Seri had brought her a gift-a training bra, and she advised her to start doing a little of her own shopping when she went out instead of relying on the guys.

Anna had to agree with that. It was highly embarrassing to imagine Kamamoto or Izumo buying bras for her. Or Yata. _Especially Yata_. She could actually picture him standing in the bra section of some store, holding up the most florescent colored ones and asking her quite loudly which one she would want while everyone in the store looked on.

Yes, she definitely had to shop a little bit for herself now.

Anna, with slightly reddened cheeks, looked up at Seri and whispered, "Thank you, Awashima-san."

Seri was absolutely delighted by the cute expression Anna made for her, instead of her usual mannequin face. She patted the child on her head. Seri knew Anna was terrified by the things she had learned, especially about sex.

"Are you ready to go outside?"

She nodded and let Seri hold her hand as they walked through the door. As soon as they did, Anna caught sight of Mikoto sitting at the bar in the same spot he had been in when Seri had arrived.

The little girl released Seri's hand and ran to her guardian as quickly as she could. She grabbed onto the white cotton of his shirt and buried her face into his side. The height of Mikoto and the height of the stool allowed her to reach him to his stomach and it was to the side of his flat stomach she found herself leaning into. It was warm there, and not frightening at all.

"Anna?" he murmured her name softly, concerned.

She merely fisted her hands more into his shirt and burrowed closer to his side.

"It seems she is a little frightened by what adults do in the adult world," Seri told him.

Mikoto's looked at the head that was hiding against the side of stomach. He placed his hand on her soft hair and murmured, "Anna, are you going to be a part of the adult world that woman told you about?"

Anna shook her head and looked up at him with frightened gray eyes. "No, it would hurt, Mikoto. I will never have sex," she vowed in a terrified whisper. Although the rawness of the words sounded so strange coming from Anna's lips, it pleased Mikoto and anyone else who overheard her.

"Good," Mikoto said. He seemed to have a small, satisfied smile on his face. Mikoto would never approve of anything that would hurt her, so if he seemed glad that she was not planning on having sex, then it had to be a bad thing.

"I apologize for aggravating her. She was alright with the puberty talk, but the part about sex disturbed her," Seri said.

"It frightened me when I learned about it in school," Fujishima muttered, recalling how disgusting it sounded in biological terms, and how it even looked on the pages of the text book where there were fully colored diagrams boldly displaying how the insides of a man and a woman's sexual parts were.

"It frightened _me_ when I learned about it," Seri retorted. She placed a gentle hand on Anna's shoulder. "But you don't have to be frightened, Anna-chan. When you choose to have sex with someone, do it with the one you love and you will see how beautiful it is,"

Seri suddenly noticed that everyone in the bar began emitting red auras. She smirked. The thought of Anna no longer being innocent clearly bothered them.

She pulled out a familiar white card. "This is the school. It is a very good school and Anna-chan will be well cared for,"

Mikoto accepted the card.

"I will take my leave now,"

"Thank you, Seri. As an expression of our gratitude, you can have a free drink with extra red bean paste next time you come," Izumo said.

Seri smiled. "I will pick you up on that next time. Goodbye, Izumo, Red King. And Anna-chan, don't forget to call me in case of anything,"

Once the woman left the vicinity, Anna, still clutching Mikoto looked at him and informed him, "It is as Izumo suspected: they want me for my power and Awashima does want me there because she likes me. They want for me to go to that school so that they could lure me away from you with nice facilities and nice people, but..."

"But?" Izumo and Mikoto prompted while the others listened intently.

"She had a strong block on her thoughts and I could not use my red marbles to filter through and get past the blockade," The woman's feelings of liking toward Anna had been genuine, but no matter how 'charming' Anna had been toward her (meaning acting like a cute doll), the woman had kept her guard up.

"She's hiding something more then," Izumo murmured.

He shared a look with Mikoto and the others, then nodded to Mikoto. Anna had meanwhile laid her head against Mikoto again, taking in his familar scent, and the familiar feel of his clothing.

"Kamamoto, take Anna shopping with you tomorrow," Mikoto ordered.

"Shopping?"

Mikoto, whose large hand was on Anna's back, nodded.

Izumo chose to explain, "We do not want for her to start school without any knowledge of how to defend herself in a fight, so we need for her to get some training clothes, and any other stuff she might think she needs,"

Anna lifted her head from the warm, soft material of Mikoto's shirt. She looked up at him with questioning eyes.

He gave her a meaningful look, which clearly meant, 'Yes, you are going to school, and yes, you will need to know how to fight'.

Anna wanted to shout out 'no', that she did not want to go, but they would not listen.

And she would not be selfish and defy them. She owed so much to them, that even if they sent her away, she would be forgiving and accepting.

She lay her head against Mikoto again.

"So she's going to the Blue's school?" Kamamoto asked.

Both Izumo and Mikoto smiled. "No. The Blue Clan is not the only one that has a school of its own,"

Kamamoto was shocked. "We have a school too?"

"It's not exactly our school, but it is run by members of the Red Clan. In fact, the only other female member of the Red Clan besides Anna, is the principal of that school," Izumo informed him.

Kamamoto was shocked. "Seriously? I never knew,"

Mikoto spoke now. "We have already contacted her. She may be here tomorrow afternoon to speak to Anna, so you need to come back early," he looked at Anna who was clinging to him. He tapped her back lightly so that she looked up.

"Bed. Now," he ordered her.

She let him go to obey his words.

"Why don't you give Mikoto a goodnight kiss, Anna?" Izumo asked her.

Anna was startled, and Mikoto gave Izumo an annoyed look.

Nevertheless, he bent so that Anna could reach him when she tugged on his strong arm. His eyes closed for a moment as her soft lips pressed his cheek. It seemed to tug at his heart because he felt something like warmth moved in it. If anything, his cheeks actually became tinged a little red.

When she let him go, she said a quick 'goodnight' and she hurried away up the stairs.

Mikoto straightened and watched her go while hiding a soft smile. Izumo smirked because he knew that Mikoto liked when Anna gave him the kiss. He proceeded to harass Mikoto a little bit.

Meanwhile, Anna heard Izumo say something to Mikoto that she could not make out as she headed up the stairs, but heard a clearly definable, "Go to hell!" from Mikoto.

"Izumo is probably teasing Mikoto again," Anna murmured to herself, and went to bed.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks for reading! Keep letting me know what you think about the story :)_


	4. Sweet Dreams

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving. I also apologize for any grammatical errors I did not pick up on._

_Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favorites from the last chapters. They were very much appreciated. _

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_Genre: General_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 4: Sweet Dreams

His room was not overly big, nor was it overly small. Upon entry into it, there was a wooden desk to the very side of the doorway, leaning against the wall. On that desk lay two red marbles. To the far side, against the adjacent wall, there was a tall closet made of teak.

Directly opposite the doorway was an armchair where yet another red marble lay. Mikoto sighed and picked up that red marble and placed it with the other two. Anna usually kept her marbles safe, except in Mikoto's room. She spent so much time in there, that it was not strange to find them scattered here and there because she knew she would find them in there anyway.

Mikoto had just finished having a bath and wore on black pajama pants and a white armless shirt to sleep.

He had removed his bracelets and placed them on his desk, along with his necklace and his earrings.

To the very back of the room was a large bed. Mikoto turned off the light, flooding the room with darkness, then went to the bed and lay down. He gazed up at the ceiling fan that could barely be made out in the darkness.

He waited for her to come.

He did not have to go to bed early, but there was a little girl whose heart was disturbed by the things she had learned today, and needed the comforting presence of her most precious person.

As expected, she entered ten minutes later, when she expected him to be asleep.

Anna had her own bedroom, but it was quite normal for her to sleep next to Mikoto, especially when her powers gave her the foresight to see Mikoto troubled by nightmares, or when she herself needed to feel a warm body next to hers, to shelter her from her own freakish dreams.

In a way, they were a type of salvation to each other. Like salve to each other's burns.

Someone outside triggered on a light that affected Mikoto's room, brightening it a little through the window behind the bed.

Mikoto was lying on his left side with his left arm stretched across the bed while he lay his right arm was curved in front of him so that its hand was cushioned under his head. He kept his eyes closed as he heard the little sounds of someone approaching his bed.

He felt the sheet rustle very lightly as Anna climbed onto the bed. Then, he felt her soft hair on his arm as she lay it there trustingly, and drew her knees up so that she was in a fetal position. He was lulled by the familiar presence of her tiny body.

Cracking open his eyes slightly, he saw her shut her own. He watched her for a moment, finding it hard to believe that yes, indeed, this child was soon to be no longer a little girl. Everything about her was so little, so fragile looking. It was so easy to imagine her breaking.

He moved his right hand from under his head and placed it face down next to her hand that was beside closest to him.

His hand was tanned and very large, compared to her almost white and very tiny hand.

So breakable, so fragile.

He was afraid that if he were to touch her, she would shatter before his eyes. He could not bear it if that were to happen. His hand curled into a fist as he watched her face, observing her features. For the first time, he noticed that her face was a little longer, her cheeks less chubby. Her facial structure was more defined now than it was when she first joined Homra years ago, but her eyelashes were still very thick and black like a doll's.

Even he knew Anna would be a beauty when she got older. She was already mature beyond her age, and combined with her good looks, she could become a potential man-eater.

Anger flared in him. No, no, Anna was going to grow up safely away from men who wanted to screw around with her, Mikoto thought (he dared not entertain the possibility that she might be the one to want to screw with them). He would protect her from anyone who wanted to touch her the wrong way.

His little princess was growing up, and he didn't know if he could bear it. Of course he could accept changes in her, but he could not stomach the idea that she could one day leave his side for good when she got older.

"Mikoto?" Anna's soft voice whispered, breaking through and immediately dousing his tumultuous thoughts.

His eyes went to hers.

"You're not all red," she told him.

He narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"I can see your face without the marbles. You're not completely red," she replied. Anna was colorblind and could only see the color red in her black and white world. However, by looking through her marbles, not only could she reach a person's innermost thoughts, but she could also see in color through them.

Mikoto was the only person she had ever come across who was completely red in her eyes. His red was the prettiest red she had ever seen. It fascinated her, and comforted her. It drew her to him like a moth to a flame.

However, for the first time, she could see him not completely red and could actually discern his physical features.

"Is something wrong with your powers?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, I think they are maturing. Awashima-san said that around this time, it could grow quickly,"

Mikoto nodded.

Anna lifted her tiny hand and touched his cheek. She looked as fascinated by him as the first time she had ever met him. He let her cool fingers slide from his temple to his jaw, then over his soft lips. Her fingers slowly memorized the plump flesh before moving on.

Mikoto silently observed her, letting her do what she wanted.

Her fingertip touched the tip of his nose, then slid upward to his eyebrow. Slowly it brushed over it, feeling the soft hair there.

"Your hair is red. That pretty red," she murmured to him and then shyly touched it. Strangely, it remained that brilliant flaming color she used to see on his entire body. When he did not protest or move away, she moved her fingers through the strands of his thick hair.

Mikoto had to admit it felt nice. Her touch soothed him.

"Lion," she whispered in awe.

He was not surprised by her words. He had been called a lion before: grumpy lion, lazy lion, ill-tempered lion, overprotective lion.

"My hair is the only part red?" he asked.

She shook her head and moved her hand away from his hair. She moved closer and pressed her tiny palm on his chest, right over his heart.

"It's red here. It's an even prettier red," she answered.

The hand of Mikoto's arm she was lying on lifted and touched the back of her head. It lightly ruffled her hair.

"Go to sleep now. You have to wake up early,"

She nodded and cuddled herself closer to him, burying her head in his warm chest.

They did not need to sleep with any blankets, because Mikoto's body provided enough warmth for them both.

* * *

Many of his dreams were memories, like the one he was having now. It was a memory from several years ago, when Anna was just seven.

He was in the back of the sitting room, hand on one hip, cigarette in his mouth, watching Totsuka and Anna with bemusement.

"Are you going to join our little tea party?" Totsuka asked him.

Totsuka and Anna were sitting on little chairs, that were big enough to fit children Anna's age. They sat opposite each other and there was a wooden table painted pink between them. On the table was a tea set with teacups and a teapot and a small bowl with snacks, and even a plate with real cake.

It was alright to see Anna sitting there because she fitted in perfectly.

But not Totsuka. He was too tall, and his body was too big. He looked completely out of place.

Mikoto blew out a puff of smoke from his cigarette. "You look like an oversized monkey,"

Totsuka laughed off his insult. "Ah King, Anna-chan needed some help to get her tea party ready. There are two seats available. Care to join us?"

Mikoto was about to say 'no', but Totsuka added, "Anna-chan would really be happy. It's been a long time since you've had a tea party, right?"

Mikoto looked at Anna, who had shyly looked down. She nodded.

You're a sucker, Mikoto chided himself as he found himself sitting on a chair that couldn't even fit his backside with his knees drawn close to his chest. However, the little smile on the small child's face made him have no regrets.

Although he looked more out of place there than even Totsuka.

"What's this?" came Izumo's voice.

Mikoto almost groaned aloud. Izumo would never let him hear the end of this.

"Tea party. Will you join?" Totsuka asked.

To Mikoto's surprise. Izumo didn't hesitate.

However, by looking at Anna, he realize why the bartender took a seat: she was looking at him with puppy eyes.

"Er...shall I pour us some tea?" Izumo asked Anna.

"Yes, please," she responded softly.

Izumo proceeded to pour tea for everyone. It was real tea too while Totsuka placed cake and cookies on little plates for everyone.

Mikoto had been very unsettled about it at first, but gradually accepted his position. The contentment he sensed coming from Anna was enough to satisfy him. Besides, the cake was very yummy. Totsuka had told them that he and Anna had baked that, and the cookies together.

The tea was horrible though. Izumo promised them a packet of his imported English tea next time they had a tea party.

The party concluded with a little game. Totsuka had written down something on pieces of paper. He borrowed Anna's hat, put the paper inside and shook it.

"You have to do whatever is written on the paper," Totsuka instructed them. "you can back out now if you like."

The other two men shook their heads.

Mikoto picked first, then Anna, and then Izumo. Totsuka got the last paper.

After handing Anna her hat, they each proceeded to open their papers.

"What did you get?" Totsuka asked.

Mikoto and Izumo had deep frowns on their faces.

"What did _you_ get?" Mikoto asked.

"Nothing. One of the papers was blank and I got it."

"Did you cheat?" Izumo demanded.

"Of course not! What did you papers say?"

"Anna's ribbon," came Izumo's answer.

"Anna's hat," Mikoto replied.

Finally, Anna: "Izumo's glasses,"

"It means that Izumo has to wear on Anna's ribbon, Mikoto has to wear her hat, and she has to wear Izumo's glasses!"

"You did cheat," Mikoto said lowly.

"I swear I didn't! Anna is looking forward to it, though. See, she looks hopeful,"

She really did look so. Especially with puppy eyes.

Mikoto and Izumo resisted groaning aloud.

"Anna, would you like the honor of tying the pretty ribbon to Izumo's hair?"

She nodded and lifted her hands to loosen it from her own hair.

The table was a bit cramped, but it proved to be advantageous for Anna because she was able to stand on her chair and reach Izumo easily to tie the ribbon.

She was not able to see the troubled expression on Izumo's face as she gathered some his blond hair on the top of his head and tied it with the black ribbon.

When she was done, she said with a straight face, "You look pretty now,"

Due to her expressionlessness, no one could tell if she was joking, or if she really did think he looked pretty.

Izumo propped his hand on his elbow and ignored the smirk on Mikoto's face.

"There there, Izumo-san. You really look nice," Totsuka comforted him.

Izumo turned to him, cheek still in his palm. "Oh? So would it be alright for Anna to tie her ribbon in your hair too since you think I look nice? Don't you want to look nice too?"

Totsuka looked uncomfortable. "Well...you got the paper, and Anna has only one ribbon-"

"I have an extra one," Anna cut in and reached into her pocket to pull it out.

Mikoto leaned on an elbow like Izumo, but pressed a palm to his mouth to smother his laughter.

Izumo's grin widened as he sat up straight and turned to Anna. Clapping his hands in delight, he stated, "Wonderful, Anna! You should do his hair before you move onto Mikoto!"

Totsuka who was Anna's main caretaker, was suddenly stooping down beside Anna's chair for her to reach down and gather some of his light brown hair at the top of his head.

Mikoto watched, quite fascinated by the movement of her hands with the ribbon. They were not very quick movements, but they were slow and graceful, almost delicate and the bow she produced with the ribbon was perfect.

"Do I look pretty like Izumo?" he asked her with a bright smile.

"Prettier," she said firmly.  
Izumo gasped, mortified. "Why is he prettier?" he demanded.

"Because he's smiling," she answered.

He looked disappointed, then said, "I'm smiling too! See, I'm smiling!" while pointing to his mouth where he had a very wide smile displaying all his teeth.

"You look creepy like that," Mikoto stated.

Izumo glared at him angrily as Totsuka returned to his tiny chair.

Anna, seeming to feel sorry for him, touched his shoulder gently and said solemnly, "Izumo is as pretty as Totsuka,"

Delighted, Izumo hugged Anna to him, letting his cheek press against hers.

When he let her go, she picked up her hat that had been lying on the table to put on the person who meant the most to her at the table. Mikoto felt better about the hat because the other two looked damned ridiculous with black ribbons tied in perfect bows on their heads, and the hat could be nowhere near as ridiculous.

Anna placed the hat on the side of Mikoto's head, similar to the way she positioned it on her own. She proceeded to quickly and delicately tie the strings into his hair to hold it in place. When she was done, she stood back, and simply looked at him.

For the first time, Mikoto saw the color red reflected in her eyes. It was interesting to see how she saw him, and he could understand her fascination with him when she looked at him because her world was largely filled with shades of grey.

"How does Mikoto look?" Izumo asked.

She shook her head and reached over to loosen the hat. "It hides some of his pretty red,"

Izumo reached over to grab Anna from removing the hat. "Wait, he can leave it on for a little while longer. You still have to wear my glasses," Izumo stated.

"Ah, you want the King to suffer with you," Totsuka realized.

"Shut-up Tatara," Izumo growled, but turned to smile at Anna who was sitting down again. He removed his glasses and placed it on her face. It was too big and she had to keep holding it up to prevent it from falling.

"Anna looks so cute," Totsuka said.

Mikoto glanced at her. She certainly did not look as silly as the rest of them.

Suddenly, the door banged open. "Mikoto-san!" Yata called happily.

He stopped when he saw the four of them.

There were three _grown_ _men_ squeezed into chairs _one_ _eighth_ their sizes, sitting at a _pink_ table with a _tea_ _set_ on it while two of the said men wore _ribbons_ in their hair and one wore a _small_ _hat_, while the fourth individual, a _child_, wore on designer glasses that were _too_ _big_.

Yata claimed later that he did not think. He was shocked.

He was so shocked by the absurd scene that he pulled out his phone from his pocket and automatically snapped a picture before running away.

Izumo became aggravated.

"It's alright, isn't it? It's a treasured memory," Totsuka attempted to calm him.

Izumo grabbed him by the shirt front. "If anyone gets a hold of that picture out the bar, it will make me look like a retard! This could affect my customer base!"

"You're overreacting," Totsuka said gently.

Izumo brought his face close to Totsuka. "Tatara?" he said his comrade's name through clenched teeth.

"Yes?"

"Chase him," he ordered and let him go while using his free hand to reach over to Anna and snatch away his glasses.

Totsuka obeyed and the two men chased after Yata, leaving Anna alone with Mikoto.

Mikoto could easily deal with Yata later. In the shock and fright of anyone seeing the embarrassing photo, Izumo and Tatara forgot that Yata obeyed Mikoto, no matter what the order was, making it therefore unnecessary to chase him.

After Izumo and Totsuka disappeared to chase after Yata, Anna turned to Mikoto.

"Mikoto?"

He looked at the little one who voice his name.

"More cake?"

He nodded and let her serve him a bite sized piece on tiny plate. He lifted up his extra tiny fork to eat it with and tried not grimace at the size of the utensil.

It was a tea party after all and cake had to be eaten with the right items otherwise it would not be a proper tea party.

Later, Mikoto found out that Izumo and Totsuka had not caught Yata. However, Yata presented himself before him and asked if should delete it.

"Do what you want," Mikoto told him, seemingly uncaring.

However, Yata was shocked because coming from Mikoto, that actually meant, 'Keep it'.

It seemed as though the silliness of the experience had been touching and Mikoto was truly a very soft person at heart.

It was two years later when Anna's aunt had her first child, that she asked Anna for the table and chairs that had come to be a place of regular tea parties. It was her aunt who had given it to her in the first place.

She wanted it for her own child, who was a newborn baby girl. Ignoring Anna's feelings, she requested it, and Anna obliged. Although she had shown no emotions of hurt over it, everyone knew that she was upset. After all, her aunt had been very selfish because a newborn baby could not have tea parties for many years, and not only that, she given it as a gift to Anna anyway. How could she take away something she had given?

Izumo had told her that they could get another tea party set if she wanted, but she had declined, pointing out that they had actually had less tea parties lately. She was outgrowing it. She opted for a new outfit instead with a set of matching ribbons. Perhaps that was the last time they had actually really paid attention to any growing up on the part of Anna, except when she got a little taller, which was not very often. Anna did not grow very much over the years. Or at least they did not think so. Totsuka usually noted those things and decided when she would need new clothes. After Totsuka died, everyone expected Kamamoto to care for Anna the way Totsuka had, but Totsuka was different. He had a different personality, and a different kind of willingness to give.

Kamamoto was not selfish, he was quite generous but he was still a different person from Totsuka and cared for Anna as much as he could based on his own personality and capabilities.

In other words, Totsuka was irreplaceable, and everyone had taken Anna for granted since he had gone because they had become so caught up in their own misery over his death.

The unexpected thing was, was that Anna had understood their ignorance of her better than they had themselves, and had chosen to let them grieve while trying to come to terms with her own pain over her dear friend's death.

* * *

Mikoto opened his eyes to a room brightened by sunlight. He had enjoyed that particular memory, that was why he had slept without opening his eyes once during the night.

Grown men having a tea party seemed so unlikely and silly, and although it was, they all enjoyed it (although they would never admit it). Something about how utterly childish it was made them feel a bit more human, instead of men who did nothing but fight. It was like taking a little vacation before going back out to work.

A soft sigh made Mikoto realize that Anna was half sleeping on him: her head and half her body was on his torso, her arms stretched across the wide girth of his chest, hugging him with one of her feet propped on him, as if he was her own personal hugging pillow.

Slowly, he untangled himself from her and gave her his pillow to hug instead as he eased away from her. He paused for a moment to observe her.

While sitting on the side of the bed, he placed a hand on the side of her head, enjoying the feel of the silvery, silky hair.

He recalled the nonsense Izumo had spilled to him the night before, right after he had sent Anna to bed:

"_You managed to manipulate Anna into thinking sex is bad, Mikoto. Suppose she decides to never do it with anyone?"_

"_She won't do it with anyone. Ever," Mikoto insisted._

"_Well, she could get married one day and if she doesn't do it before, she will do it then with her husband,"_

_Yata was the idiot who opened his mouth first, "The only person worthy enough to be a husband to Anna is Mikoto-san!"_

_There was rounds of agreement from the members of Homra. _

"_Are you all stupid? She's a child," Mikoto told them in an irritated voice. _

_Izumo shrugged. "When she gets older. Sixteen may be the marriageable age for her,"_

"_Go to hell!" he snarled._

_"Hey, how come you don't have a girlfriend?" Chitose asked curiously._

_"Not everyone's a manwhore like you, Chitose," Yata snickered._

_"I can't help it if the ladies find me attractive!"_

_"They find me more attractive!" Kamamoto announced._

_"They do not!" Chitose argued._

_Mikoto said nothing. He was glad for the topic change._

_However, Izumo murmured the answer to Chitose's question, "Bad tempers do tend to be a turn off from the ladies,"_

_Mikoto looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Have you told the heartless woman how much of a womanizer you are?"_

_The smirk on Izumo's face disappeared. He proceeded to wipe the counter of the bar clean while Kamamoto and Chitose ended up in a fist fight. "There's nothing between us," he murmured quietly._

_Mikoto said nothing. _

_"There isn't!" he insisted._

_Mikoto remained silent. The fistfight between Chitose and Kamamoto had distracted them._

What the hell was Izumo and those others thinking, he wondered wearily. Marriage was something for adults, not little girls. Anna was important to him, and her presence eased the stress of his internal turmoil. She was with him so much that it was hard to imagine someone stealing her away to make her his wife. Such thoughts _did_ bother him but he knew that was not the current issue at hand. Her safety was.

He lifted his hand slightly and pressed a little kiss on the side of her head, lingering there for a moment, breathing the natural, refreshing scent from her. He had a strange urge to nuzzle his nose against her hair and close his eyes, very much like a lion did when showing affection to members of its pride.

He drew back abruptly, blinking, wondering where in the world _that_ came from.

He shook his head, attempting to physically shake off his thoughts. Her protection was the main issue right now. He stood up and headed out the door.

He had things to do.

The lion had a cub to protect.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks for reading!_

_Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)_

_Let me know what you thought about this chapter :)_


	5. Breaking Down

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving. I also apologize for any grammatical errors I did not pick up on._

_This chapter is not really filled with a lot of humor, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. _

_Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favorites from the last chapters. They were very much appreciated, and encouraged me to put a better effort into this chapter._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**Genre: Drama_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 5: Breaking Down

Before she opened her eyes, she knew that he was gone. A pillow was a poor substitute for Mikoto. It was as soft as he was hard, and it became cold too quickly while Mikoto was an endless source of warm energy.

Anna opened her grey eyes, reluctantly greeting the morning with no Mikoto in bed. It was unusual because usually Mikoto slept until midmorning and awakened only to eat or use the bathroom.

Sometimes when she slept beside him, she found herself actually seeing his dreams. Last night had been such a case.

The tea parties with Totsuka had always been fun and she had been sad when her aunt had wanted back the mini-dining set they used for their tea parties. Honami Kushina had been eying the tea set as well, but she could not get it because that had been a gift to Anna from her parents not too long before their deaths.

Not that she had any rights over the dining set because she had gifted it to Anna. However, Anna had actually insisted on giving her aunt it when she had asked, despite Izumo arguing that she should not. She was an unselfish child and had decided that perhaps it would make her aunt happy enough to want to be like how she used to be to her: almost a real mother. Not the inconsiderate woman she had become.

Anna's father's sister was not the woman everyone remembered her to be anymore. However, Anna treasured the memories of her, when she used to act like a real parent to her, and she chose to remember her that way.

A knocking at the door made Anna sit up more. Kamamoto opened it slightly and tentatively poked his handsome head inside. He had shaved off his goatee today, not looking very rugged, but rather...sophisticated.

Anna had a feeling it was because Chitose had challenged him to pick up girls without it.

"Time to get ready, Anna,"

"Where is Mikoto?"

"He went to meet the principal of the school they want you to attend,"

Anna could not hide her disappointment too well. "Oh," she murmured.

Assuming that her disappointment was because Mikoto was not there, Kamamoto tried to comfort her. "By the time we get back, he'll probably be here too. Go get ready so we can come back quickly,"

It was Summertime, so Kamamoto had forgone his white hooded jacket. However, Anna suspected it was because the black t-shirt he wore brought out his muscles for him to attract women.

As she strode down the street, she ignored the argument between the two men behind her. "Fusjishima and Dewa were supposed to come with me, not you!" Kamamoto was grumbling.

"Fujishima was caring for the half dead cat he found outside and Dewa had a family issue," Chitose pointed out to him.

"Lies! You're just trying to infringe on my time with the ladies!"

"Oh? I thought the only lady you were supposed to be concerned about is Anna?" Chitose told him slyly.

Kamamoto immediately looked contrite.

He walked ahead of Chitose and ruffled Anna's hair lightly. She looked up at him, blank faced as usual.

"Even if a hundred women come onto me, you're my priority," he promised her gently.

Anna nodded and looked ahead, continuing the walk.

Chitose quickened his stride to come to Anna's other side. "But perhaps you could make it more interesting for us? We won't make other women more important than you, but maybe you could give us a little game to compete at," he suggested.

"The person who has the most women approaching them today is the winner," Anna said.

"That's great idea," Kamamoto said. Chitose nodded in agreement.

* * *

"Why do you two look so upset?" Fujishima asked the two men sitting on the couch with hands in their pockets. Their faces were sullen with disappointment.

Fujishima was petting a skinny white kitten as it drank milk hungrily from a dish on the ground. He eyed his comrades, awaiting an answer. Izumo, behind the bar, chuckled, drawing his attention to him.

"It's because Anna set down a competition between the two of them where whoever had the most women approach them, would win,"

Fujishima looked away from Izumo to the two competitors.

"Who won?" he asked.

"She did," they both replied, looking at Anna who was approaching Fujishima with interest because of the kitty.

Apparently, upon entry into any store, all the women flocked to Anna, calling her 'cute', 'adorable', and 'doll-like'.

The only time any of them bothered with either men, it was because they had questions regarding Anna, like '_Is she your little sister?_', '_Does she take by her daddy?_', '_How come you guys don't resemble her?_', and worst of all, '_She's too cute too be _your_ sister_'.

It had been a hassle.

Fujishima laughed while the other two looked on miserably. Anna lost interest in the kitty when she heard the bell of the door go off, signaling someone's entry.

To her relief, it was Mikoto, and she hurried quickly to his side.

It was not unusual for him to not acknowledge anyone, including Anna when he came in. He was followed by a tall woman.

She looked to be in her mid-thirties, but Anna suspected that she was much older. Her hair was a short blonde color, similar to Izumo's and her eyes were a warm brown. She was a slim busty woman who wore on a knee high, black pencil skirt and white shirt.

"Ah, Natsume-san! It's wonderful to see you!" came Izumo's voice.

She gave him a brief smile. "Hello Izumo," She then focused on the child who had grasped onto Mikoto's black jacket without realizing it.

She looked at the woman a bit warily.

The woman Izumo called Natsume, smiled at her warmly. "Are you Anna?"

She nodded and moved closer to Mikoto, clutching his jacket more tightly.

"How are you?"

"Good," she replied in a soft voice. Tentatively, she asked, "Are you the principal?"

Natsume's smile broadened. "Yes, I am,"

Anna knew she was not a bad person. She did not pick up on any bad feelings coming from her. However, the woman came from the place that she was to be installed in, a place that was away from Homra, and away from Mikoto.

"You're a very cute child, Anna. How old are you?"

"Eleven," It took all Anna had to not cringe against Mikoto. She wished the woman would go away, and leave her where she felt safest: at Mikoto's side.

Mikoto and the others assumed that it was because Natsume had a very domineering presence for a woman, and as Anna was not used to interacting with women with such a vibe, she was wary.

"You look rather young for eleven. You look more like eight or nine,"

Anna did not say anything.

"Anna," Mikoto said her name. She looked up at him and he gave a meaningful look, as if trying to tell her to mind her manners. It seemed to be a bit hypocritical coming from _him_ because she had witnessed his own lack of respect to others in authority. However, because it was Mikoto silently ordering her, she would obey.

Reluctantly, she let him go and placed her hands together in front of her very primly. She bowed lightly and said, "Thank you very much, Natsume-san,"

Natsume walked closer to Anna and then stooped to reach her height. Anna felt drawn to her, for she could sense something maternal coming from her.

"Anna-chan, I am the principal of Seneca Girls Middle School, Yuki Natsume, where the King would like for you to attend. What do you think?"

'_I think I don't want to go_' she thought to herself. However, her face remained neutral. She shook her head, indicating uncertainty.

Natsume seemed to understand. She patted the top of her head gently. "We will take care of you. Come, let's sit and discuss this,"

She straightened and took Anna's hand in her own and led her to the couch that Kamamoto and Chitose had just vacated. She ushered Anna to sit, and then seated herself beside her. Mikoto sat opposite of them.

"Anna-chan, all the schools of Seneca are boarding schools: a middle school for boys, a middle school for girls, and a mixed High School,"

Anna's eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise. "I will have to live there?"

Natsume nodded. "Yes. You will have a room of your own. Normally, the students have a room-mate, but you are not like the other students: you have special powers, and you are the princess of the Red Clan. The schools are elite schools, and you will be given the most elite treatment: a room of your own, with everything you could want or need, as long as you follow school rules and do well,"

"Where is Seneca?" Anna asked softly.

"In the mountains," Natsume answered easily.

Anna was shocked.

"It is cold year round, but it is a very, very pretty place to be. I've been told that you can locate things with your power. Use your powers to find it on the map," Natsume instructed her as she pulled out a map from the leather purse she carried, and spread it on the table.

"Can't you just point it out for her?" Yata asked.

"I could, but I want to see the power of the child I am taking under my wing," Natsume replied.

Anna did as she was told and fished for her marbles that were in the pocket of her dress. She pulled out four and lay them on the map. Everyone watched as the marbles began to move and hit against each other with soft '_clacks_'. Then, suddenly, they all rested on a tiny area in the map that showed the town where Homra was located, then slowly, the marbles moved downward to the mountain range behind the town, and to a specifically large mountain.

It stopped where the centre of the mountain was. The distance was not that far in real life, but to go through the rugged path of the mountain would be time consuming.

Anna looked at Mikoto who kept his eyes calmly lowered. '_Are you really sending me away to school in the mountains where it's cold?_' she wondered in bewilderment.

Izumo seemed to sense her discomfort. He patted her should lightly, and said gently, "Anna, it isn't going to be that bad. You can come home on Fridays and spend the weekend with us, plus you will have summers with us and winter breaks too,"

It did sound a bit better, but that meant that she would be spending nearly five days away from Mikoto, away from her warm place in Homra.

Why were they going this far? Why didn't they just send her to a normal school?

Did they hate her?

The marbles on the table began to move again. Everyone in the room seemed to notice except Anna as she became plagued by her thoughts.

They began to clack together, faster and and faster, harder and harder.

Were they so tired by her, burdened by her presence? Had she become to them nothing but a pest, just as her aunt had considered her to be?

Suddenly, the marbles began to lift off the table, still hitting against each other in midair.

"A-Anna," Fujishima stammered out her name while holding the stray kitten close to him to protect it.

"Anna!" she heard Izumo call out and the marbles abruptly fell onto the table, knocking the wood and damaging it, causing Izumo to gasp in horror at the damage done to his beloved table.

"No! Anna, my table!" Izumo cried out.

He stopped when he saw that she had stood up with her head bowed.

"Anna?" Kamamoto said her name uncertainly.

She did not lift her head, but fled upstairs to her room. Everyone downstairs heard when she slammed the door shut and locked it.

As she flung herself onto her bed, she felt two tears seep through her eyes. She sat up and wiped them, then opened the drawer of her nightstand and pulled out a picture that held three people, two of whom were already dead.

She lay down on her bed again, and hugged her picture to her.

More than anything at that moment, she wished Totsuka was still alive.

* * *

"That did not go well," Izumo murmured as he picked up the fallen red spheres. Everyone stared in the direction Anna had gone off into, including Mikoto.

"Did you explain anything to her?" Natsume asked him.

"No, we wanted to explain _that_ after so that she would feel better about going. She may not understand enough if we told her right away what exactly was going on," Izumo answered.

Natsume gave him a hard look. "I think that child would have understood better than you think,"

"We don't know everything yet, Natsume-san. Tomorrow we will get more information from the Blue Clan. We don't want Anna to get too worried for the time being,"

Natsume let out a frustrated sigh. She turned her attention to Mikoto. "You took her in when she was six, right?"

He nodded.

"Her parents had died, she had to leave her home to live with her aunt,"

"Yeah,"

"After which her aunt was able to have children of her own and decided that Anna was no longer her responsibility,"

"What's your point?" Mikoto asked, getting annoyed. The memory of his schoolteacher's treatment of her own niece still angered him to this day.

"My point is that she was removed from that home as well, and placed into your care, and now you are having her leave to go to another place you expect her to call home without any proper explanation as to why. I am quite sure she has the common sense to know that she could go to a public school right in this town instead of a boarding school,"

Eric who had been observing from the bar spoke then, "She lost everything in her world when her parents died, and then she lost the stability she had with her aunt. She thinks she's loosing us too-the last people she expected to turn her out,"

"We're not turning her out," Izumo argued.

Eric shrugged. "She doesn't know that. We're sending her away and she doesn't really know why. Given the circumstances of her life, she would have reason to doubt us,"

Perhaps Eric understood Anna's feelings a little more, considering his own horrible past. If he were in her position now, he would think the same thing as her.

"The young man is right," Natsume stated. "being uprooted three times in eleven years can be tough on a child,"

Quietly, Eric said, "It's like loosing the place she thought she finally had a home in, all over again,"

There was a moment of silence.

Mikoto stood up, interrupting the quietness with the thud of his boots.

"Where are you going?" Izumo questioned.

"I'll talk to her," he replied.

* * *

Anna's room was smaller than his, and much more simple. However, it was definitely more neat and attractive. Mikoto had placed his boots outside the door to ensure that they did not dirty the red carpet of the room (as opposed to his which had no carpet because he preferred it that way).

Upon entry, the bed was the first thing seen as it was in the middle of the room.

The closet was to the left, and the dresser to the right with a regal looking chair in front of it. On the dresser, there was a little stand where two little hats were propped on, as well as two ribbons. There was not much of anything else because Anna was a child and did not need to coat her face with make up.

Anna's bed was perhaps as large as his own. The room had been a guest room before, and they had made it into a little girl's room when Anna began to officially stay with them.

The bed spread was white with red flower patters on them with edges that were made of a red ruffled material. There were two pillows encased in material to match the spread.

Beside the bed was a nightstand, and there was a lamp on it.

Anna was lying down to the left side of the bed-the side closest to the nightstand. She was turned away from it and was hugging something in her arms.

Her eyes were shut.

Mikoto had slept beside her long enough to know her breathing pattern when she was sleeping, which she clearly was doing right now.

Mikoto sighed and then removed his black jacket. He lay it on the chair by her dresser and walked to the bed, figuring that he should take a nap too.

He lay beside her, trying not to move the bed too much with his motions and weight. Anna stirred when he settled himself beside her, but the familiar comfort of his warmth lulled her back to sleep.

Anna had not removed her hat, and thankfully, she lay on the side that it was not on, therefore not crushing it. Mikoto reached over and deftly undid the strings. When they were undone, he reached across and placed the hat on the nightstand, then he lay down with his arms behind his head and observed her for a little while.

Sighing again, he turned his head and looked at the empty ceiling before his eyes closed shut and he fell into a deep sleep as well.

* * *

Mikoto opened his eyes from a dream of a certain friend carrying around a camera.

Anna was stirring.

She shifted a little, made a small noise like a whimper before her eyelashes went up to reveal the waking world to her.

She seemed a little confused when she noticed that someone was lying next to her.

Her vision revealed an athletic body lying on its back beside her. There was a long, familiar arm which had a wrist adorned with metal bracelets. As her vision moved upward it passed over a firm bicep that was partially clad in a white sleeve, followed by a familiar face that was watching her calmly while the hair that framed that face flamed it pretty red.

Anna's feelings were still sensitive, and she felt tears coming to her eyes again. She turned away quickly, before he could see them fall, and held the picture in her arms closer to her.

However, Mikoto moved to his side and gently grasped her shoulder, forcing her onto her back. The tears leaked out of her eyes, dripping down the sides of her face as she sniffled quietly. They didn't seem to want to stop.

She half expected Mikoto to tell her to stop crying, to be quiet, or that her tears could stain the pillow.

But he didn't.

He merely curved an arm over her head while another slid across her stomach and remained there, effectively trapping her.

Mikoto rest his head on the arm that was over her head and let out a weary sigh. He waited for her to speak.

"You don't like me anymore," she sobbed quietly.

He could usually sense turmoil in her. When he did, he made an effort to be around for her to come to him because he knew his presence comforted her.

But not this time.

"That isn't true," he said softly.

She shook her head and clutched whatever it was she was holding even tighter. "I want Tatara," she told him miserably.

Mikoto could say nothing to that although those words cut into him painfully, because that was something he, the mighty Red King, could not do and it was the one thing he wished he could.

"I want them back. All of them," she whispered.

Mikoto gently reached for whatever it was she was holding and pulled it away from her. He gave no indication of any surprise at the image he saw.

The three people in the picture was a man, a woman and a child. The man was tall and handsome with jet black hair and grey eyes. One of his arms was around a woman with hair as silvery white as Anna's. She was a pretty woman who was holding a cute toddler in her arms. The man's hand was on top of the toddler's head. That child had hair like the mother, eyes like the father, chubby cheeks and a wide, toothy grin.

It was a photograph of Anna and her parents.

"Everyone I care for is always taken, or they get tired of me," she confided in him unhappily, as she sat up and began to wipe her incessant tears. "and now you're sending me away. You're fed-up."

Mikoto sat up too and set aside the picture before he gathered her to him. "You're wrong," he told her.

Anna let him put her on his lap as she sobbed. She shook her head. "Tatara would have understood. He wouldn't have let you send me away. But he's gone. My mommy and daddy are gone. Everyone who loved me is gone," she wept pitifully.

"Anna," he murmured her name and held her tightly, rocking her against his warm body.

It was the first time his little princess with her doll-like face showed so much emotion.

When Totsuka left them, Anna had already known. They had not needed to tell her.

Izumo had tried to comfort her-hugging her when he thought she might need a hug, and spoiling her when he could by getting her new ribbons and candy and cookies.

Yata was sure she was unhappy, and feeling pity for the child, used to let her listen to his headphones. In some way or the other, everyone made their presence available to her to give her things to do, to take her mind off the sorrow. Even Mikoto was home more often to let her near him.

But she lived among men. They did not usually talk about feelings, or often ask how one felt. They waited for Anna to talk, although to the back of their minds, they suspected that she would never voice her feelings. The incident with the colorless king kept them occupied, and when it was over, they expected her to say something but she never did.

No one asked, so she did not tell. She did not tell because everyone was already suffering enough over the loss of their beloved friend and to speak aloud of her own pain would burden them with more grief.

It seemed that Eric had a close idea as to how she felt and why she remained quiet, perhaps having lost his parents and having to live a rough life in a gang just to survive, helped him see a little bit past her blank facade.

Eric had managed to get his High School diploma after joining Homra. As 'barbaric' as they could be described, Mikoto did impress upon his subordinates the importance of an education and would always advise them to go to school if anyone asked how to get ahead in life. As Izumo was always the one to elaborate on Mikoto's words (because Mikoto didn't like to talk), he had told Eric that he should try to earn his diploma, and even push forward ahead and try to get into college. They would help him out as much as possible. The members of Homra were like family after all, and family helped out family.

He did exceptionally well and got his diploma but could not afford college. Izumo had once more offered to help him at least for his first semester, provided he worked a year before applying to earn some extra cash to help him along.

Eric was the first to notice that Anna had actually needed a new tutor now that Totsuka was gone and offered to be her part-time teacher to homeschool her in return for Izumo's help.

Anna had liked spending time with Eric. He was nice, he was quiet and he was a very good teacher. He much more serious than Totsuka was, but he was shy and charming in his own way. He was also a better English teacher.

She knew that he felt sorry for her and understood how she was feeling. People he loved, namely his parents, had been taken away from him at a an early age as well, and like everyone else in Homra, loved Totsuka like a brother.

But Eric had also been grieving, and he did not know how to get Anna to express her own sadness. Totsuka had been the only person who was able to get Anna to talk, especially after her aunt's betrayal. He was gone, and common sense told everyone that something had to be building up behind Anna's expressionless expression. They sensed it, felt it, did nothing.

Just waited, but other things took precedence.

And then they forgot because of other those things occupied their time.

And now the dam that had been building up in Anna burst unexpectedly.

Now here she was, crying away, for the first time in a very long time.

Mikoto felt badly, wishing he had paid more attention to Anna's suffering, instead of assuming that his nearness alone helped her to cope. It was not in her nature to express herself and her adult-like ways made them forget that she was only eleven.

The misery he was currently witnessing displayed that no matter how mature Anna was, she was still a human, and burdened with pain and misery.

Mikoto waited for her sobs to quiet down. Then he gently lay his cub on her back and moved to her side to cuddle her close to him. She seemed to be sleeping away again, basking in the mild scent of tobacco and the warmth he exuded.

He pressed his fingers into her hair on the back of her head and lightly massaged her scalp. He nuzzled the side of her head right above her ear, somehow finding that he liked that spot. He liked the softness of the hair there, something about its silkiness was starting to get to him, making him want to constantly touch it. His own behavior made him wonder if he was truly a lion of some sort. Perhaps it was acceptance of the fact that she would not break if he touched her, made him feel a bit affectionate toward her.

Or maybe there really was a lion inside of him that heard the cries of a precious member of its pride, and sought to calm it.

Anna seemed to not mind at all, for she sighed and snuggled closer, feeling warm and safe.

Mikoto lifted his head slowly and moved his hand to his cheek, where he gently wiped at the remaining tears that stained her cheeks with his thumb. A double ring that decorated his index finger shined when his hand lay on her face.

Then, very much like she had the day before, he lifted his hand so that the tip of that finger slid gently from her temple, then outlined her lightly pointed chin. It moved up to touch her lips, disturbing her sleep. She opened her eyes and simply looked at him as he continued his examination of her.

Her lips were so small, as was her nose. Her skin was very smooth, and very soft. So large his hand was, and so delicate her features, that he was amazed that he did not damage her with his light touch.

His finger slid upward to her forehead, then moved his hand to brush the hair that had fallen haphazardly there, away from her. With his hand remaining to the back of he head now, he lowered his own and touched his forehead to hers, so that a strand of his red hair that spiked forward, tickled her cheek. His eyes were closed, but she continued to gaze at him.

"We're not sending you away because we don't like you," he murmured to her.

She said nothing.

"Sometimes we do drastic things to protect,"

"Protect?" she whispered.

He opened his eyes and drew back his head, but continued to stroke her hair.

He nodded.

Unwittingly, she picked up the word '_trust_' from his thoughts.

Anna clutched his white shirt and said, "I trust you, Mikoto,"

_I trust you to protect me, I trust you to make decisions that are in my best interests, even if I don't understand. I entrust my everything to you_, was what she meant.

He nodded. She did not need to explain. He understood.

* * *

_A/N: A lack of humor, I know, but I hope you enjoyed reading it still._

_Let me know your thoughts on this chapter._

_The explanation for why they're sending Anna to boarding school will come soon._

_**I changed the genre to Drama, because I found that this chapter to be very emotional._


	6. Reasons

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving. I also apologize for any grammatical errors I did not pick up on._

_Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favorites from the last chapters. They were very much appreciated. _

_**PLEASE NOTE:**_

_************Some of the information here came from K Side: Red, based on what I dug through the internet to find (because I was desperate to know more about Anna). Based on what I picked up from websites (I guess this could be a SPOILER for anyone has not read the novel) that I translated into English using google translate (google translate wasn't all that helpful but it did give an idea of what was going on), it seemed that Anna was in a hospital after her parents' deaths, but the hospital was an institute of some sort that did research on her. I think she was also the candidate to be the next Blue King, and she had foreseen Tatara's death. If I am wrong about any of this, I apologize and feel free to correct me (and direct me to where I can find more info if you could), but what I have just said is what will be used in this chapter.******************_

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_Genre: Drama_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 6: Reasons

Could any child describe the smell of tobacco as 'comforting'? Maybe some could. Some like Anna, for it was what she immediately recognized upon awakening, combined with the unique scent of Mikoto himself. He had rolled onto his back sometime during their nap and she was curled up at his side, sleeping on his arm and relaxing in his warmth.

She realized that this was also probably the first time he had ever slept in her bed since she had come to occupy this room as her own.

Anna sat up reluctantly, and decided that she should apologize to Izumo as well as Natsume, if she was still here. She quietly slid out of bed and went to the door. She realized then that the lock had been broken. Mikoto must have done that in order to get into her room. Izumo might blow up, or scold Mikoto. Anna felt bad.

The bar was like his baby and anyone laying so much as a scratch on any part of the building would suffer the wrath of Izumo Kusanagi. It also added to her guilt over the table her marbles had damaged.

Anna went to the bathroom first, and cleaned her teeth, then washed her face in order to feel a little refreshed.

Then she shyly walked downstairs, feeling ashamed of herself for her behavior from before. She reached the bottom of the staircase. The sitting room was there. She followed it to the door that led to the bar. She opened it slowly and peeked outside.

She saw Yata, Kamamoto, Chitose and Dewa playing cards in a far corner booth. Fujishima was placing his stray kitty in a cardboard box while Izumo was behind the bar, pouring a drink for himself.

The sun had already set and the bar was lit by the dim lights inside.

Anna approached it as quietly as she could, not wanting to draw attention to herself by the others. She climbed onto a stool, her movements attracting Izumo's focus on her.

"Hm? You woke up, Anna?"

She nodded and looked down shyly.

"Is the King still asleep?"

She nodded again.

"Ah, well that's good then,"

She gave him a surprised look, wondering why he wasn't mad at her for his precious bar. Izumo poured her a glass of orange juice, but she ignored it when he set it before her, and kept her eyes on him.

He noticed her watching him. "Anna? What's wrong?"

_'Aren't you mad?_' she opened her mouth to ask, but she shut it, changing her mind and shaking her head.

She began again, saying, very much ashamed of herself, "Izumo, I'm sorry,"

Izumo gave her a little smile. "It's alright Anna,"

"But the table-"

"Tables are replaceable, Anna but you aren't," he told her firmly.

She gave him a surprised look.

He gave her the loving look a father would. "None of us want you to go, Anna but something terrible is happening, and Homra may not be the safest place for you,"

"Mikoto thinks so?"

Izumo nodded.

She accepted that. She felt something small and furry on her lap. She realized it was the little kitty. She touched its head gently and turned to see Fujishima standing beside her. "It's only a few days for the week. You'll be coming home to us before you even realize it,"

Someone patted her shoulder. It was Bandou. He was standing with Shouhei. He smiled. "Us insignificant and boring guys will miss the most interesting and important person from among us,"

The others who were playing cards came over and crowded around her, patting her gently to comfort her for where she was heading.

Except Yata. He sat on the couch nearby with his arms around his knees, drawn up to his chest. He was sulking.

"What's the matter, Yata-chan?" Izumo called out to him.

"Hmph!" he sneered and turned his head away.

"He's upset because he can't get away with watching _Pucca_ without being called a little kid 'cause Anna's not going to be here to be his excuse for watching it," Bandou replied.

Yata sprang from the couch and grabbed Bandou, shaking him. "That isn't true! I hate _Pucca_! I hate that stupid ninja girl whose always chasing after that _stupid_ Garu with the three dumb uncles who make the _best_ noodles in the world in a restaurant that has a lion statue in front that literally _shits_ bricks!" Yata yelled at him.

Everyone was watched him without saying a word.

"What?!" he snapped, looking around, wondering why they were just looking at him.

"We were just wondering why it is you know so much about a cartoon you claim to hate," Fujishima answered.

"I just happen to sit on the couch when it's going on!"

"Everyday at four pm?" Eric put in from the other side of the bar. No one had noticed him quietly observing the scene.

"I don't want to hear anything from you, _Spongebob Squarepants_ lover!" Yata shouted.

Eric shrugged, making Yata angrier.

"I will miss watching Pucca with you," Anna told him quietly.

Yata released Bandou upon hearing her words. He looked down and turned away.

"Yata?" Bandou said, concerned.

"I don't want Anna to go," he mumbled. Everyone had been informed about Anna's going to school earlier that day, but had been told to say nothing to interrupt Natsume during her visit. It was an order from the king himself, so they obeyed although they all wanted answers.

Yata turned around and walked over to Anna. He looked at Izumo.

"Does she have to?" he asked.

Izumo nodded. "We will explain what we can soon,"

Everyone was disappointed to hear that she would still go.

Yata patted Anna's hair. "Who will I watch Pucca with?" he murmured so that no one else heard but Anna heard. She touched his arm comfortingly. Pucca wouldn't be the same without Yata laughing beside her at the crazy antics of the characters.

"Why are you all crowded there?" came Mikoto's sleepy voice.

Everyone was happy to see him. "Mikoto-san!" Yata's voice chimed with joy.

He gave a little wave of acknowledgement and walked toward the bar while scratching his flat stomach underneath his white t-shirt. Everyone moved aside that he came to stand next to Anna's chair. Fujishima had taken the kitten away to put it back into its new cardboard box bed.

He looked down at her, while she looked up. A normal person would think that he was giving Anna a very hard look. However, the clan members knew he was scrutinizing her face.

He was observing her features too see if she was alright, and if there was anymore misery in her. He could see that her eyes were slightly red from crying, with lines underneath showing evidence of her nap with him.

Mikoto slid into the chair beside hers and picked up the glass of water Izumo had poured for him. Knowing his best friend well, Izumo also offered him a cigarette which Mikoto stuck between his lips after drinking his water.

Everyone waited for him to take the first drag, before they bombarded him with questions as to why Anna had to go to boarding school, and pleas for her not to.

Mikoto seemed disinterested and continued to smoke while his clansman continued to present their issue in a rowdy, disorganized manner which was common to Homra.

He blew out a puff of smoke, and replied, "There's a group called '_Rise_'," he told them. Everyone quieted at the drawl of his deep voice.

Mikoto took another drag from his cigarette before speaking again. "They go after strains,"

"You think they're targeting Anna?" Kamamoto asked worriedly.

Mikoto looked at Anna, who was gazing back at him with deep interest in the story he was telling. "They targeting Anna _especially_," he answered. His eyes had gone very serious, indicating to the clansmen that this was indeed, a serious matter.

"But why Anna?" Dewa questioned.

"The powers of strains vary, some very unique, some very similar to others. Some of these unique powers can be quite useful," Mikoto continued.

Izumo decided it was time for him to take over the explanation. "Anna has the ability to locate objects using her red marbles, and recently, like earlier today, she showed that she could actually move things with her mind. She is a clairvoyant for she can locate things with her marbles and see into people's hearts and thoughts. She has telekinesis of some sort, but there is something else that differs her from more than just your regular psychic strain,"

"What is that?" came Bandou's voice.

"Precognition," was the soft answer from Anna's lips.

Before Anna had joined Homra, after her parents had died in an accident, she had been in a research facility under the guise of a hospital. The power of hers that had intrigued them the most had been the power of precognition.

She had foreseen her parents' deaths, but it could not be stopped. Neither could she stop Tatara from dying when she had foreseen his death. Such a useless power she found it to be, but it seemed that she was the only strain who had that ability, combined with clairvoyance. The telekinesis had only started to really come along recently, but it seemed that all she could really move was her marbles.

Everyone in Homra knew of her ability to see into the future, but what they did not know was how rare that power was, and that she was the only person to have it so powerful.

What furthered the uniqueness of Anna herself, was that she was the only person who had all those abilities combined. Other strains who had them only had one ability, not as many as Anna. She was _that_ powerful.

"So you're saying that this group wants Anna for that power?" Yata asked, getting angry.

Mikoto nodded. "Several strains have been captured recently by that group,"

"But aren't we enough to protect Anna?" Yata demanded.

There came murmurs among the men. Were they not powerful enough to shield Anna from those people?

Mikoto stood up then, effectively making everyone shut up. "No," he answered. Everyone waited for him to continued. "These people will stop at nothing to capture strains, including Anna," Mikoto informed them. He accepted a manila folder that Izumo handed them. He pulled out some enlarged photographs which he handed to them.

They were passed around, many in shock over what they saw.

"These are all...women..." Fujishima murmured as he observed one of the pictures.

"All strains," Mikoto clarified.

The bodies of the women were bruised, battered and naked. They were found in various locations, such as a forest, or a river.

"No one understands what their actual cause of death was," Mikoto added.

"It wasn't like they were beaten to death and suffered blunt force trauma or something like that?"

He shook his head. "They were beaten, but the autopsies revealed that that was not what killed them,"

"There have been five strains recovered from the twenty who have been captured over the last six months. Those five have all been found dead," Izumo told them. It was a horrible story.

"Are you sending her away because we can't protect her?" Chitose asked.

Izumo and Mikoto looked at Anna. Her expression was carefully blank, but she was clearly worried.

"We can't say for sure if we can or cannot because we know very little about what we are up against," Izumo told him.

"How did you get this information, and how do you know they're after Anna?" Shouhei queried.

"I read the papers and watch the news," Izumo replied with a shrug. "when learning of the kidnappings and deaths of women, a lot of concern is raised. I contact other members of the Red Clan and have them gather information for me. Normally, it would not bother me very much, but we do have a young lady here with us," he looked pointedly at Anna before continuing, "they managed to get information stating that it was strains being captured and killed. We suspected that they were specifically targeting Anna after the visit from the Blue King and Awashima-san the other day."

"How come?"

"Because one of the jobs of Scepter 4 is to monitor Strains. The kidnapping and death of strains is their issue to handle, but their excuse for coming here was strange no matter how seemingly good their intentions were," Mikoto answered.

"We can't overlook their visit, especially if it regards Anna," Izumo explained. "she could have been the next Blue King because she is that powerful, and they know this. We put two and two together: Anna was a female strain, strains were being targeted and the ones who are supposed to go after the kidnappers came to visit us so we did some digging around. The Blues obviously expect that the Red Clan is made up of uneducated gangsters,"

"Well, we are kinda like gangsters, but we are educated," Kamamoto commented.

"Exactly. We are educated. We have members with higher level degrees in computer science who hacked into their system to find out what information they could. This is what they found,"

Izumo passed another stack of photos, but these were regular sized. He handed them to Anna first and the others crowded around her to look at them.

To their shock, they were pictures of Anna.

Anna clutching Mikoto's jacket as she walked, Anna walking with Kamamoto in the mall, Anna picking up a stray dog with Fujishima, Anna being taught to skateboard by Yata. Anna simply sitting outside the bar, waiting for Mikoto to come home.

Some were from the same moment, just at different angles.

Anna started to feel sick.

"Someone's stalking her?" Dewa gasped.

"Worse yet, Anna did not sense anyone doing so," Izumo said. He looked at her. "Did you?"

"I didn't know," she whispered. She hopped down from the stool after handing Fujishima the photos, and moved to Mikoto. She caught hold of his white t-shirt and leaned into him, suddenly becoming terribly afraid. She had not been shown the pictures of the dead women, but she picked up the feelings of shock and horror from the rest of guys.

And to think that she had not only become the focus of the group doing these activities, but it seemed that they were able to get around her power in some way or the other. It made her vulnerable.

"Who took these pictures?" Kamamoto asked.

Mikoto placed a comforting hand on Anna's head. "Scepter 4 has been tracking these people for some time now, and it seems they captured a stalker last week," Mikoto's cigarette finished. He doused the butt in the ashtray and his immediate desire for another one indicated frustration on his part. He lit it and continued explaining. "They came here because they were genuinely concerned for Anna's welfare, and also because they felt that Anna would be a great asset to their organization."

"But Anna said that Awashima really did want Anna to join Scepter 4 because she liked her,"

"She does, she truly does and she does not believe we are sophisticated enough to give her proper care to reach her full potential," Izumo replied.

"So when they came here the other day...?" Yata asked, wanting them to explain a bit more.

"It was to coax us to send Anna to their school. They did raise important issues to us, Yata-chan concerning Anna's schooling and growing up, but their real motive was to lure her away to their side, not only because they believed that she would be safer there, but because they felt her power could be more useful to them. That was why they did not tell us that these people had targeted Anna,"

"I don't like them," Anna whispered into Mikoto's t-shirt. Mikoto heard her and lightly ruffled her hair in an attempt to soothe her.

"But she's always with Mikoto, surely the people behind this would be afraid," Yata pointed out.

"Well, that's the thing, Yata-chan, the Gold King has become alarmed over what's been going on and has requested that Mikoto assist in investigation,"

"And he's doing it?"

"Yes, I am," Mikoto answered. One did not ignore a call from the Gold King and Mikoto did not have a problem helping with the matter because it involved the protection of others, and this particular group was threatening Anna. It made his blood run hot, and filled his hands with a desire to beat down and destroy the person who wanted to get to her.

"And you can't keep Anna with you when you're working because you might put her in more danger, and having her separated from you could make her prone to the enemy because we don't know its powers," Shouhei realized.

"And we don't want any risks because Anna does not have the capability to protect herself," Izumo pointed out.

Anna frowned at Izumo's words. She knew he had no ill-intentioned meaning behind them, but once more, it served to remind her of how much of a child she really was.

"But what happened to the stalker?"

"We'll find out that from Scepter 4, but one of our subordinates said that he overheard some Blue Clan guys saying that he had died,"

"Died?!" many of the members of Homra gasped.

Izumo nodded.

"When will you start the investigation?" Eric questioned.

"Mikoto negotiated with the Gold King for September, in time for school to start," Izumo answered.

"What's so special about this school?"

"The security is very high because it is a school where the most elite go," Izumo answered. "Anna will be given the very best care in a school whose administration is made up of red clan members. They are powerful members and will keep a good eye on her. Anna's identity will be we safeguarded. She will not be known as the princess of Homra at Seneca," Izumo told them.

"Is that really our only option?" Yata asked.

"Unless Anna wants to go to the school the Blue Clan proposed," Mikoto said.

She shook her head. She had hated the research facility, and she had hated the researchers. They had forced her to do all kinds of things, just for them to test her power. They pushed her and pushed her and she had _loathed_ it.

She was also quite sure that their 'specialization in strains' in the school meant that they did the same thing in the school, just the researchers were probably teachers too.

There would be no warmth, there would be no red and there would be no Mikoto there. She did not want that.

However, she now understood why they were sending her away. It would break her heart to be away from him, but she knew that really and truly, this was for her own good.

"Will you...will you be here when I come home?" she asked him hopefully.

Mikoto nodded. "I come back on weekends, unless there's a pressing issue,"

"How come you negotiated to start at a later time?" Kamamoto asked curiously.

"We said we would teach Anna to fight, didn't we?" Izumo reminded them.

Everyone perked up, suddenly getting happy. After all, if it was one thing they liked to do, it was to fight.

Everyone began to talk, have fun and instinctively find way to create laughter in order to make Anna feel better and take her mind off the group who was after her.

As the mood lightened, Izumo handed Anna a special gift. It was a DVD full of Pucca cartoons.

Yata, nearby, caught sight of it, and despite the noisiness of the bar, everyone heard when he gasped out loud.

He snatched it from Anna. "This is...!" he cut himself off, and hugged it to him. Everyone looked at him in bemusement.

"And he claims hate it," Chitose commented.

"I can almost see hearts in his eyes," Bandou said.

Yata froze at his words. He grabbed him by the collar. "Who the hell cares if I have hearts in my eyes, it's _Pucca_ damn it!"

He let Bandou go and hugged the DVD to him, rubbing his cheek against it lovingly. "And it's mine, all _miiiine_!" he seemed to sing.

Suddenly, someone hit hard behind the head. "_Wha_?! Ouch!" The DVD was snatched from him. "Nooo! Izumo!"

Izumo gave him a cold smile. "It's Anna's, all _AAnnaaaa's_," he stressed to him the real owner's name and handed her the DVD.

Anna took it and gave Yata a blank look.

"So shameless, taking away a little girl's cartoon," Fujishima remarked behind him.

"He would take candy from a baby if he could get away with it," Eric added with a nod while standing next to Fujishima.

Yata spun around to glare at his comrade. "I would not!" He turned back to Anna and Izumo, looking sad and downhearted.

"But it's Pucca," he told them, a pleading look in his eyes.

"You said you didn't like it!" Bandou reminded him.

Yata grabbed him and shook him hard, then with a hard clasp on his shoulders, and a crazed expression in his eyes, he snarled, "I don't _like_ it Bando!" Then looked to the others and admitted in an crazed whisper, "I **_love_** it!"

"Let go of me! You're being insane!" Bandou said and shrugged him off.

Yata proceeded to bully him while Fujishima and Kamamoto tried to pull him away.

Anna looked up at Izumo. "Can you put it on for us all to watch?"

Strangely enough, everyone quieted and looked at him expectantly. "You all like Pucca, don't you?" Izumo questioned them.

Their silence was enough answer.

Izumo went behind the bar counter to put the DVD into the DVD player. It would automatically show on all the television sets hooked up in the bar.

Thankfully, the sign outside the bar was written 'closed' so that none of the usual customers would come in and see the childishness that was going on.

Yata, meanwhile, hugged Anna. "Thank you, Anna!" he told her gratefully, and rubbed his cheek against her hair.

Mikoto, who had been sitting on the chair by the bar's counter all the time, felt like every time Yata's cheek moved against Anna's hair, something moved inside him.

Not in a good way though.

Every movement was in slow motion, every brush of Yata's cheek against Anna's hair, _his_ spot to nuzzle was like watching and hearing the movement of a saw that made his teeth grind.

Mikoto became certain that he was possessed by the spirit of a lion of some sort. Why else was he behaving like a possessive leader of a pride? He was about to forget his annoying feelings, but he saw that slow motion of Yata's cheek again, brushing against _his_ soft hair, smelling the cool spring-water scent of_ his_ cub.

He reached out and grabbed Anna away from Yata by the back of her dress and, and set her in the chair beside his.

Yata was surprise at the abrupt removal of the only girl he could go near to without getting flustered.

He saw the King's eyes, and he felt a sudden flash of fear. It was like he was being given a warning by a fierce lion.

_Never touch her again like that_, seemed to be the message conveyed to him through golden colored eyes.

Yata looked around, wondering if anyone else noticed what had just happened. No one seemed to have, for everyone was talking and laughing, taking seats and looking forward to the cartoon.

Anna had given Mikoto a confused look. She had sensed anger in him, but he had targeted it at Yata.

Mikoto, meanwhile, lit another cigarette and focused his eyes on the overhanging television set. It was not unusual to find him in the same room with Yata and Anna when Pucca came on.

Well, he didn't like the character Pucca, and he didn't particularly care for Garu either. But he did like Abyo. That Bruce Lee wannabe made his day whenever he tore of his shirt for the stupidest of reasons.

Izumo was the one to notice that Anna had become sleepy. Everyone was still laughing at the episodes of Pucca two hours later. It did take their mind off the worries over Anna's safety and their sadness of her attendance to school in less than three months time, but when they each went to their respective beds, these issues would be on their minds.

"Perhaps you should bathe and go to sleep," Izumo suggested to Anna.

She nodded, and slid from her seat after thanking him for letting them watch the Dvd.

"Anna, don't forget to kiss Mikoto goodnight," he added.

She nodded and looked up at her favorite person in the world.

He got up from his chair and stooped beside her, allowing himself to come face to face with her. He was itching to press his nose into her hair to erase Yata's touch from her, but he held himself back.

I am a ferocious lion, not a kitten, he reminded himself. It troubled him when he thought the word 'kitten' for it reminded him of the weak stray Fujishima had brought him. He knew he was being paranoid when he compared himself to it, but he couldn't help it.

Anna pressed one small hand on his cheek, and the other on his head of spiky, but soft red hair and kissed his cheek. Then she hurried away quickly, embarrassed.

Mikoto stood up slowly, while the other members waved to Anna as she left.

Izumo had one more concern. He had seen Mikoto's reaction to Yata. Normally, Mikoto did not care about those things, but it seemed that lately he had changed.

Izumo smirked. Mikoto was probably making some lame excuse for himself for being affectionate with Anna. Izumo couldn't wait to hear what it was.

* * *

While Anna had been having a bath upstairs, Mikoto went outside. He used to be aware that there was something different in the air when the man had been stalking Anna, but he had not realized what it was. Ever since, he kept alert when he felt something strange, not wanting to make the same mistake twice.

However, he could feel nothing strange now; everything was normal. For now.

* * *

Anna was on his bed when Mikoto entered. He was not surprised.

Saying nothing, he toweled off some excess water from his face before joining her there. As he slid into bed, his saw that spot on the side of her head above her ear he had a recent weakness for.

_I am a lion, not a domestic cat, _he told himself.

However, he couldn't stop himself. He gathered the sleeping child against his chest and bent his head, nuzzling his favorite spot just like a lion. A part of him was still mortified at the anger that had rose in him at Yata for doing almost the same thing. Despite that, he felt that his touch would banish Yata's. He kissed her cheek and nuzzled her hair again.

Anna was mildly disturbed in her sleep from Mikoto's affection. However, she basked in it, and enjoyed it. It made her feel very loved and cared for and although she did not understand why Mikoto was suddenly behaving this way, she figured that it had to be that even the most ferocious lions liked to give affection.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks for reading. Do you like Pucca? _

_Let me know what you thought about this chapter. _


	7. Security Blanket

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving. I apologize for any grammatical errors I did not pick up on._

_Thanks for all the reviews, and a big thanks to all those who followed and favorited the story. They were very much appreciated, and encourages me to keep writing._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_Genre: Humor/Drama_

_**PLEASE NOTE: ****Just to clarify with the last chapter, the spoiler for K: Side Red was what I had written in bold italics (such as I am doing right now) before the start of the chapter. The plot of the chapter with the group targeting strains, etc. is purely mine. Thanks for reading :)**  
_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 7: Security Blanket

"It's a bit early to be drinking, isn't it?" Izumo said to his closest friend as he placed another strong drink in a shot glass for the miserable looking red headed man who sitting on the barstool behind the counter.

"I'm already drunk," Mikoto stated.

He looked at Izumo with bleary yellow colored eyes. "I'm not a kitten damn it!" he growled.

"Of course you aren't," Izumo said, wondering where in the world he got the idea that he was.

The little kitten in the box nearby gave a little mewl, as if agreeing with Izumo.

Mikoto was about to snarl at it to shut-up, but something about its smallness and fragility made him think about Anna. He snorted at it instead, and turned to his shot. He drank it, and had Izumo pour him another. Mikoto's normal drink was bourbon, but when he was frustrated over something, went for the strongest liquor Izumo possessed.

Since the alcohol loosened his tongue, Izumo took this as an opportunity to get him to talk.

"So why did you grab Anna away from Yata-chan yesterday?"

Mikoto shot his alcohol. "Because I'm possessed, Izumo,"

Izumo frowned. "What do you mean 'possessed'?"

Mikoto looked at him like he was an idiot. "I need a priest. There's a lion spirit inside of me. A possessive one..." then with a comically disturbed look, he whispered, "it needed to be exercised."

"You meant 'exorcised',"

"Whatever,"

Izumo became intrigued by Mikoto's strange story. "And what is it possessive of?"

"Anna," he replied.

"'Anna'?" Izumo repeated.

"That's what I said, didn't I?" Mikoto snapped angrily.

Izumo lifted his hands in defense. "Yes, yes, of course you did!"

That seemed to calm Mikoto a little. As he settled, he continued, "He touching her where I touch her, where only _I_ can touch her,"

Izumo felt a little disturbed by that. 'Touching' when stated by a twenty-four year old about an eleven year old did not sound right at all.

"What do you mean?"

Mikoto stood up abruptly, reached over the counter and grabbed Izumo by the back of his head.

"W-What are you doing?" Izumo demanded.

Mikoto began to rub his head against Izumo's head right above his temple. At the same time the door to the bar opened.

A male customer had been about to enter with a big smile on his face.

However, at the sight of the two men, his smile froze. He began to sweat. "Um, I'll...come back later," he said with a nervous laugh and turned to go.

"No, wait! It's not what you think!" Izumo called out, pushing Mikoto away.

However, the customer had already hurried off leaving the resounding sound of the door slamming shut in their wake.

Izumo turned to Mikoto, glowering. "What the hell was that? Don't ever do that again!"

"I don't want to. You have dandruff," Mikoto told him as he proceeded to light a cigarette.

Izumo grabbed a napkin and proceeded to take out his rage on it by tearing it. "You...you bastard! I lost a customer thanks to you, and now this-" he growled.

"And it smells like you soak your head with Axe. No wonder you and that woman from the Blue Clan like each other so much: you soak yourselves in commercialized crap,"

"We. Do. Not," Izumo gritted through clenched teeth.

"But you both stink of heavy perfume,"

"I meant that we don't like each other!" Izumo yelled, throwing up the pieces of napkin in the air in exasperation.

Mikoto shrugged. "It doesn't seem that way,"

"We don't-" Izumo stopped himself, realizing it was futile to argue with him. "What the hell did you mean by touching, and why were you rubbing your face on me?"

Mikoto's face gave a helpless expression. "Because I like to rub my nose and my face on Anna's hair like that. Am I a pedophile, Izumo?"

Mikoto looked so miserable that Izumo's anger receded quickly. He knew Mikoto wasn't displaying any pedophile behavior toward her. "Do you have sexual feelings for her?"

Mikoto made a face. "What? Hell no! She's only eleven! She's a cub damn it!"

Izumo was surprised to hear Mikoto describe Anna as a cub, but considering that Mikoto was like a lion and Anna was still so little, he supposed that she was a 'cub'.

"Then what do you feel?"

Mikoto slumped over the bar. "That she's mine, that she's like light in a dark world and I'm afraid of anyone taking her from me. Even Yata,"

"You don't mind when I hug her," Izumo pointed out.

"You're an old man,"

Izumo made a strangled noise and tried his best not to loose his temper. A drunk Mikoto was definitely an insulting one.

"Funny coming from you-you're two years younger than me," Izumo stated as he opened a bottle of water and poured some for Mikoto. He did not think he could handle his friend's drunken slurs anymore.

"You've crossed your mid-twenties. You're going to hit thirty just now," Mikoto gave him a lopsided grin as a blew out a puff of smoke. "You're oooooold,"

Izumo said nothing but waited for Mikoto to drink his water and sober up. He made a note to himself to remind Mikoto of this incident on _his_ twenty-sixth birthday.

He did sober up, and as expected, rather quickly.

"You're not possessed and you don't need a priest," Izumo told him shortly, still miffed by his friend's description of him as being old.

Mikoto, more sober now, muttered, "Then what the hell is going on?"

Izumo lit a cigarette for himself. He blew out the smoke, and replied, "Children have security blankets-something that makes them feel safe and well,"

Mikoto nodded. "I guess I am like Anna's security blanket,"

"Yes, but I wasn't talking about you being Anna's security blanket. I was talking about her being yours,"

Mikoto frowned at his friend. "I don't get what you're saying,"

"We're men with dark pasts, Mikoto. We've seen so much fighting and we've been in so many fights. Anna is a child, yet so adult-like. Her innocence, her presence, her very nearness offers some kind of salvation, especially to you. Perhaps she is someone who helps to remind you that you are sane,"

Mikoto listened as his friend spoke, never interrupting.

"She is someone you cling to as much as she clings to you. She just displays her attachment to you more than you do her, but everyone knows that she is very important to you. 'A light in your dark'-that is what a security blanket is to a child. If someone else touches or holds that blanket, the child gets angry, feeling threatened. No one would like to live without the little light given to them, only to have them live in the darkness, would they?"

Izumo's words were very reasonable, and true.

Mikoto nodded. It was a relief to know that he was not a pedophile.

"But why do I like to show her affection?" he mumbled to himself. He had not meant for Izumo to hear him, but his friend did.

"Every child holds its security blanket close,"

"But why now? Why not before?"

"Maybe because you do have a personality like a lion, and those little goodnight kisses from her woke up the affectionate aspect of it,"

Mikoto drank some more water. "Sure I don't need a priest?"

"Quite sure," Izumo replied with a smile.

Mikoto sighed and stood up. He had to wake up Anna because they had somewhere to go today. He expected some of the other members of Homra to arrive soon as well.

"Izumo?"

"Yeah?"

"Change your shampoo,"

Izumo tried not to fling any of his precious glass at Mikoto.

* * *

It was eight in the morning. Anna was still sleeping. Mikoto had awakened at six and had started drinking at seven. He decided that he needed a nice long nap when they got home today.

Mikoto walked into his room and moved to where the sleeping child lay.

She was dressed in her red night-dress and was covered by a white blanket that Mikoto had tucked around her to safeguard her from the cool air that blew in through the window. One of her arms rested on her stomach while the palm of the other was open and beside her head.

In the morning light, Anna looked almost ethereal with her silvery white hair and pale skin. The night-dress looked like bright, brilliant blood against her.

Mikoto sat on the side of the bed and watched her with a cigarette stuck in his mouth. He did not want her to go to school. He had come very close to changing his mind the day before when she had run upstairs and cried.

But he knew her safety came first. A security blanket that still existed safely somewhere, that he could still have to himself from time to time, was better than no security blanket at all. He was quite sure that Anna felt the same way toward him.

Mikoto was not usually the one to wake her. After all, he usually slept in very late and woke up after her.

He sighed and took his cigarette from his mouth. He was about to shake her shoulder to get her to awaken when she let out a soft breath and turned her head to the side, revealing the spot he was weak to.

Mikoto cursed himself. To hell with it, he thought. He was a damned affectionate lion after all.

He lowered his head and rubbed his cheek against hers, and then buried his nose in her soft hair at her temple.

Anna stirred.

"Mikoto," she murmured.

"Wake up," he ordered, his mouth close to her ear.

Anna opened her eyes abruptly, surprised that his voice was so near. She blinked and sat up, but Mikoto was sitting up already with a cigarette in his mouth, looking at her from the corner of his eye. He removed it and blew out some smoke.

"Get dressed. We're going out soon,"

He said nothing else and left the room.

Anna was a little bewildered, confused as to why his voice had sounded so close. Then she caught the scent of cigarette smoke and tobacco from her hair.

She gave a tiny smile; she really had felt him nuzzling her in her sleep.

* * *

Munakata Reisi was not surprised to see his rival sitting on a bench outside the main headquarters for Scepter 4. Mikoto was dressed in a white t-shirt and blue jeans with a black jacket on his shoulders. His shoes were black boots with a matching black belt on his jeans from which a silver chain dangled. On one wrist was three metal bands while his other hand had a matching ring on his index finger.

Clutched between that finger and his middle finger was a cigarette.

What Reisi was surprised to see was the little girl sitting about a foot away from the Red King. She was dressed in her usual lolita outfit of red and black ruffled material with a hat and a ribbon in her hair.

"Suoh,"

"Munakata,"

Reisi turned to Anna. "Kushina-chan,"

She only nodded.

"So you decided to come to the school?" Reisi asked her.

Anna looked at Mikoto. "She's going, but not here," Mikoto informed him.

Reisi reached out and grabbed Mikoto by the shirt. "Are you stupid? She needs to go! It isn't safe!"

Mikoto calmly caught hold of Reisi's hand and removed it from its clutch on his clothing. He flung his hand away.

"You should have expressed your worry over her safety the day you barged into Homra, claiming that you were concerned over her wellbeing by telling me the truth behind your visit," Mikoto said.

Reisi stiffened momentarily, then stepped away from him. "What are you going to do?"

"Deal with it," Mikoto answered.

"The Gold King said that you would help with the investigation if the group has not been caught and tried by September,"

Mikoto said nothing.

"I suppose it has to do with you protecting the child until school starts."

Mikoto remained quiet.

Reisi gave a sneer, then walked over to Anna. He knelt in front of her and asked her gently, "Are you truly happy with them? Don't you know that the Blue Clan can offer you so much more?"

Anna was gently touched the top of his head.

"Munakata-san,"

"Yes?"

"Although you came to us with hidden agendas, you are a good person and I sense that you really would not like to see me harmed in anyway. You are a good person," she told him with her usual expressionless face. "but you are not red."

Reisi gave her a surprised look, then smiled and stood up. "I see,"

Mikoto stood up and nudged Anna off the bench.

"Take care of her, Suoh," Reisi said.

Mikoto looked over his shoulder and told him, "Better than you could, Reisi,"

* * *

Seri was walking through an alley, having just dealt with a patrol matter from some of her subordinates.

She sensed something behind her and spun around quickly.

To her surprise, she saw Izumo standing there, hand in one pocket, the other used for the cigarette in his mouth.

He did not look like the usual Izumo.

Izumo was usually calm, mild and smiling.

This man was smiling, but it was cold. There was an almost sadistic look in his eyes.

Seri instinctively moved back in fear. Izumo followed her slowly, until she backed into the wall of the building behind her. He came close enough to her to press his larger, warm body against hers. He took his hand out of his pocket and slammed it against the wall beside her head, making her heart tremble.

"I got a little letter in the mail," he informed her softly.

"It was by our rights that we try to take her. She is a strain, she is our responsibility and you do not have rights over based on Protocol 21," she told him.

"You know your law quite well, _Seri_," he said her first name with an edge of harshness. It startled her, and her eyes widened a bit, looking up at his own green ones.

Izumo took her chin his hand between his thumb and forefinger, while still holding the cigarette between the valley of his middle and forefinger. Seri's eyes fell on the burning ash of the cigarette for she could feel its heat on her face, making her worried. Izumo seemed angry enough to want to _burn_ her.

"Protocol 21 allows for my clan to take custody of an underaged strain if we feel that the person who is caring for her, who is not her guardian is not sufficiently giving regard for his or her wellbeing. That letter was issued to you to let you know our intentions," Seri said, forcing herself to remain calm.

"You did not have permission from her legal guardian,"

"Scepter 4 has some jurisdiction if the child has been living separately and has has little contact with her legal guardian based on provisions 12 and 13 of the Protocol,"

"But Anna has not been living separately from her legal guardian," Izumo told her with a smirk. He let her face go and took a drag from her cigarette.

"What are you talking about? Our data shows that she has not been with her aunt for a very long time!" Seri argued.

Izumo caught hold of the front of her neck. He could easily strangle the woman, but he did not. Instead, he let his thumb slide upward to her lips that he lightly traced with deliberate slowness, but Seri could feel the tightly reigned rage.

"I am Anna's legal guardian," Izumo informed her.

"What?!" she gasped, about to ask more, but Izumo had forced her head against the wall. Calmly, almost affectionately, he pressed his forehead against hers and murmured, "We had her aunt sign over her guardianship to me and that was information we kept very quiet to protect Anna in case someone like you tried to take her away. No one really cares if you underestimate us, Seri, but I advise that you don't. We knew about the strains being captured, and some being killed, and I know we kept our friendship out of clan issues, but you really pushed it with me, Seri-_chan_,"

"Izumo, you don't understand,"

Izumo let her neck go and lightly traced the curve of her cheek, almost tenderly, with the back of his knuckles.

"What don't I understand? Why you didn't tell me right away how much danger Anna was in? That really and truly, your clan only wanted her power, not her best interests? That you tried to take her away from us, even going to legal means to get to her?"

Seri saw his eyes narrow, and a deep burning rage in those eyes behind those glasses.

"I didn't want to, Izumo," she told him, using his first name.

"Then why?" he demanded harshly.

"Because I was ordered to. My loyalty is with the Blue Clan," she replied.

Izumo made a disgusted sound and let her go. "So much for caring so much for Anna's welfare that you wanted her to 'evolve like the butterfly she is',"

Seri calmed herself and walked to him. She handed him a small disk in a plastic case. "I didn't think we actually _could_ take Anna from you, neither did my King. However, we could not see Anna being safe with you," She gave an annoyed look, "but it seems that you unruly men might actually be able to, since you were able to stopper our efforts to get her. This disk is data I gathered this data for you-_without_ Scepter 4's knowledge,"

Izumo accepted the disk, and looked at her, confused. "It contains information we gathered on how strain's mature and grow physically, emotionally and mentally. It is very detailed and it could contain information vital to how you bring Anna up,"

Izumo frowned at her. "Why, Seri?"

She gave a cold look, "Because I want Anna to evolve into the butterfly I know she is, and I think that the ones taking care of her should try harder. I also added some information on the Rise. It could be useful to you. We will also be working with the Gold King on this matter, so my King will keep conveying information to yours on the issue. But for now, take this information that I have on them."

"How did you know that we know?"

"Only because the Gold King told us," Seri said. She gave Izumo a weary look. "Following orders to compromise my friendship with you was not easy, Izumo. When we came in that first day, we were quite certain that you all had forgotten that Anna was growing up. We were right about that much, and we suspected that you would ring me up to have those talks with her, and from there we could lure her away with the school. What we didn't know was how well you keep track of the occurrences in this town, Izumo. Or the lengths your king would go to protect Anna. _Or_ how well you cover up and hide information to keep her safe. I did not want to be so underhanded, Izumo and it was difficult for me to carry out these tasks,"

Izumo gave her a genuinely warm smile. He placed his hand on the top of her head. "I'm sure it was,"

"I'm glad I underestimated you," she told him.

She was about to walk away, but he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her against him, making her gasp in shock, and blush bright red.

She looked up at his handsome face in surprise.

"You know, maybe we should have a little talk too. In bed,"

Seri glared at him and struggled against him. "I don't like men who come on so strong."

Izumo merely smile and pushed her against the wall of the building behind her. One arm still on her waist, the hand of the other was still pressed against the wall to the side of her head, pinning her there once more.

"You know, you're cold hearted, but I bet you like to feel dominated in bed," Izumo was telling her.

Seri gasped in surprise. "Izumo, we're friends, we can't-"

He brought his head lower to hers. "Can't. Or won't? We've been fighting this for so long, Seri. I see it in your eyes whenever you drink that horrible red bean paste drinks behind my bar. You _want_ me,"

Seri turned her head away, trying to shrink away, but Izumo smirked and kissed her ear gently, then lightly he kept pressing lips down the curve of her cheek, close to her mouth. He pressed his forehead against hers again.

"I've been fighting it, Seri. Every time I see you," His breath was on her, his lips so close to hers. She wished he would just press his mouth against hers. "I've thought about all the ways I could have you, to have you under me, to-"

Someone cleared their throat from the entrance to the alley.

Izumo and Seri were stunned to see Mikoto standing there, calmly smoking a cigarette. They broke apart quickly when they saw Anna standing beside him, one hand clutching his jacket as she looked on with a blank face.

"M-Mikoto?"

"Anna-chan?"

The two were flustered, and blushing deeply. However, they quickly pulled themselves back together quickly and went back into professional mode.

Seri looked at Izumo. "Kusanagi-san, it was good to see you today,"

"Likewise, Awashima-san,"

Seri was about to go, but Izumo caught her shoulder, he lowered his head so that only she could hear his words.

"Technically, I am Anna's adoptive father. She needs a mother,"

Seri looked at him over her shoulder and smiled warmly, but somewhat sadly. "Thank you, Izumo, but today my loyalty is to the Blue Clan, and their priorities are first. But forever, your loyalty will be to the Red Clan,"

Izumo returned her sad smile.

They looked at Anna who had let go of Mikoto to approach them.

"Well, I guess we better going!" Izumo said, about to take Anna's hand and walk her away.

"Nothing huh?" Mikoto reminded him of the words Izumo had practically shouted at him more than once, regarding his relationship with Seri.

"It's nothing Mikoto, nothing!" Izumo insisted. He turned to Anna. "nothing at all, okay Anna! You understand, right?"

Anna, showing no emotion as usual, whether in expression or tone nodded. "You were only trying to have sex with her,"

"Of course..._wait_! Wha-_Anna_?" Izumo gasped while Mikoto slapped a hand to his face and Seri let out an exasperated sound.

"How do you know that?" Izumo demanded.

"Ah...that's called seduction, right?" Anna pressed.

"Answer my question!" Izumo snapped at her.

Anna looked up at him and told him with dead seriousness, "You were so full of passion that your thoughts were being spilled from your body. I accidentally picked up those words,"

Izumo and Seri groaned. Izumo felt Mikoto's anger spike a little. Who could blame them? Neither wanted to hear the word 'passion' come from Anna's mouth.

Anna looked at Seri. "You said that I should only have sex when I get married," Anna reminded her.

Seri looked uncomfortable. "Well, that's true,"

"Then why were you letting him get to you?" Anna's voice was not condemning, merely curious.

Seri was trying hard not to reveal her nervousness. She also noted that Izumo was listening quite intently. "Well, you see Anna I've never done this sort of thing before and-"

"You're a virgin?" Izumo gasped and was rewarded with a slap from a highly peeved Seri.

Seri turned back to Anna while Izumo rubbed his bruised cheek. "Ah...I felt that on my heart," he told Mikoto who gave him a mildly worried look.

Meanwhile, Seri was speaking to Anna again. "Remember I said that you when you like someone, you might actually want to let things happen between you?"

Anna nodded.

"Well, it's like that. But it doesn't mean that you should or you shouldn't. I would advise you to wait until marriage,"

"So I can do it before?"

"That decision is yours. Remember that you need to be prepared and mature in different dimensions of your personal self before making that step. I believe that marriage should come first and to when getting married, it is advisable that you be mature in those areas in the first place," Seri told her.

Anna nodded.

Seri smiled at her, stroked her hair affectionately before going to leave. She nodded to Mikoto, and waved at Izumo, then disappeared out the alley.

"Get out of Cloud nine," Mikoto told Izumo who was looking extremely pleased by Seri's words.

Izumo grinned, took Anna's hand, and followed Mikoto out of the alley.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. As always, they keep pushing me to give my best shot._

___Thank you for the advice, TheMipstaz, to change the genre to 'humor', and thank you, and everyone else who reviewed. _

_Also, this story may turn out to be much longer than even I expect, but I hope you keep enjoying each chapter, and give me feedback on it._

_Finally, I sincerely apologize if the next chapter is delayed. I know you have probably gotten used to me adding a new chapter everyday, but I am going to be a bit busy tomorrow. I will try my best to put it up when I can. Thanks again for reading. Have a great day. God bless :)_

_P.S. What do you think of Seri? _


	8. Something Like Love

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving. I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_A/N: _

_Thank you again for all the reviews, favorites and follows. They were really appreciated and they keep me motivated to keep writing._

_Genre: Drama/Humor_

_***This chapter does not really contain humor, but I hope you enjoy it all the same._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 8: Something like Love

"Are we buying Anna a pet?" Yata demanded as he watched a hamster in cage inside a pet shop.

The hamster cautiously sniffed at the finger poking to his cage. Then, without warning, it bit Yata.

"_Ouch_! Son of a-!" Yata stopped himself from cursing because a three year old boy was standing next to him with his mother.

Anna, standing next to Mikoto observed Yata expressionlessly.

Yata glared at the animal before letting Shouhei take him to the next door pharmacy to get some medication for his bite. The animal watched Yata go out the store, then decided to stuff its face with sunflower seeds.

After leaving Seri, Izumo and Mikoto had led her down a street she had never walked before. It held a series of small shops and although she had never been there, it was quite busy. Then, abruptly, they had slipped inside of the pet shop.

After Shouhei and Yata left, Anna looked up at Mikoto. She tugged on his jacket.

He looked down at her. "What are we doing here, Mikoto?" she asked softly.

Izumo already tolerated Fujishima's strays. She did not think he would allow for a more permanent animal resident.

Mikoto shook his head at her, indicating that she should remain quiet.

She did as she was told.

The pet shop was rather small and it mostly sold hamsters, parakeets and fish. "Izumo might be alright with a fish," Dewa told Anna as he bent halfway to observe some goldfish swimming in a tank through his thick framed glasses.

The other members with them besides Yata, Dewa and Shouhei were Bando and Izumo, but Izumo had disappeared through a backdoor to the shop without anyone except Mikoto and Anna noticing.

They were the only ones in the shop now that the mother and her son had left.

Yata and Shouhei re-entered the shop. Yata looked at Mikoto who gave a brief nod. Yata nodded back and inconspicuously flipped the sign outside the door from 'Open' to 'Close'.

Once that was done, Izumo came out from the door to the back the shop and motioned for them to come.

Anna, clutching Mikoto's jacket as usual, met Izumo there. He gave her a little smile, and then motioned for her and Mikoto to enter the room behind the door.

Once there, she looked around and noted that it looked like an office of some sort with a desk and a chair close to the back of the room with a window to the right that was covered by blinders. A ceiling fan was lightly spinning overhead. That made Anna realize that the building was either very old, or the owner of it was an antique nut: in the day and age they lived in, no one really utilized ceiling fans so much with the advent of technology and the widespread use of more sophisticated air conditioning units and ventilation systems.

Anna sensed someone coming from a door to the back of the room, which was to the left side of the desk, and recognized who it was immediately.

She looked up in time to see Natsume enter the room with a brilliant smile aimed at her.

Anna clutched Mikoto's jacket tighter, but not out of any sort of internal torment this time; it was out of shame at the memory of how she had behaved the other day.

"Hello Mikoto, Izumo and especially you, Anna-chan,"

Mikoto nodded politely, while Izumo smiled. The others were waiting in the store itself, alert for danger, and/or messing around with the animals.

Anna shyly released Mikoto's jacket and bowed politely to Natume. "Good morning, Natsume-san," Anna hesitated, and added as the ever polite child that she was, "I'm sorry for the other day."

"It's alright, my dear. Have a seat," she motioned for Anna to sit in a soft chair before the desk while she did the same to the one behind it. Mikoto and Izumo opted to stand-Mikoto at the window, Izumo by Anna's chair where he leaned on it by placing one hand on the backrest.

"I believe that you have finally been informed of the danger you are in?"

Anna nodded.

"It must be terrifying, right?" Natsume asked gently.

Anna paused, not really wanting to reveal her emotions but she nodded again anyway, as she was obligated to give an honest answer.

"That's understandable," the woman gently comforted her.

Anna did not say anything.

"But you do understand why you have to come to my school now, right?"

"Yes," she finally spoke, but in a dejected tone of voice.

Natsume was not offended, for she knew Anna had nothing against her school: it was the separation from the people she called 'family' that clearly bothered her.

"Anna, you will be staying with me for when you start school,"

Anna looked at her, clearly surprised.

"I will?"

Natsume nodded. "We want the best protection for you, and at my side you will be very safe,"

Anna tilted her head to the side, showing confusion. Natsume smiled kindly. She stood up and walked around her desk.

Anna felt it then, it was a power that she had sensed coming from Natsume since she had first met her. She had not paid much mind to it back then due to how emotional she had been, but now she was more in-tune with what was going on and she could feel it.

Natsume was a strain.

Natsume stooped in front of her, her blond her starting to emit a white aura. "It seems you understand, Anna,"

Anna reached out and touched Natsume's cheek and gave her a clinical look. "Healer," she whispered.

"Healer?" Izumo repeated, beside Anna.

Anna removed her hand and nodded. She had recalled the healers who had been studied in the institute when she was there. They had been genuinely nice people.

"Yes, I am a healer. My ability is the insight into a person's health. Upon touching a person, I automatically gain knowledge of their entire wellbeing-not just physical, but emotional as well. It is a type of clairvoyance, but it differs a but from Anna's,"

"Why aren't you working in a hospital?" Mikoto asked, for clearly her abilities might be more useful there.

That seemed to be Natsume's pet peeve.

She stood up slowly, anger burning in her eyes. "'Why'? '_Why'_?! Because those over-educated arrogant _bastards_ who call themselves lecturers in Medical School didn't like that I knew more about the cause of death in cadavers than they did! So they failed me at everything! They were all _jealous_ of me!" she snarled.

Then covered her face with one hand in frustration. The other three looked on at her with bemusement.

However, when Natsume removed her hand, she smiled and said as she rounded her desk again to sit behind it, "But I found a better calling by becoming the principal of a school where the overall wellbeing of students is a major concern, especially with families who push their students too much,"

"Natsume-san," Anna said suddenly.

"What is it, doll-face?"

Anna was surprised at the nickname, but accepted it all the same. "If you can tell the cause of death of the cadavers, then would you be able to tell what had caused the death of the strains who had died?"

Natsume smiled, but she looked a little dismal. "I should, shouldn't I? But the problem is, that I can't,"

Anna felt her heart tremble in fear, but she did not display it.

"It seems that however these women died, the person who killed them was able to do something to block out my powers so that I could not determine it. It seems that this group has somehow managed to develop something that blocks the power of strains, for I've been told that your power has also been blocked; you could not sense the stalker,"

Anna shook her head.

"Aren't you in danger as well, Natsume-san?" she pointed out.

Natsume seemed startled by the question, but replied with a smile, "So strange to hear such a question coming from a child, but yes-I _could_ be in danger. But it depends on what kind of strain the group is looking for. They do not randomly pick up strains; they pick up certain types at different points in time. The first group they got was illusion-type strains,"

Anna looked at Natsume, her eyes widened. "Neko-"

"She is safe," Natsume assured her with a warm smile. "the Silver King ensured her safety."

Anna nodded, relieved to hear that the cat-woman. "The second group was made up of psychics-those with powers similar to your own. You were a certain target for you are the most powerful and diversified psychic strain currently known,"

Perhaps Natsume knew that her words were frightening Anna, but she did not lie. This was a serious issue for her life was in danger. There was no softening things up for the importance of her being hidden away unless protected by Mikoto himself, was the priority. For Mikoto and the rest of the members of the Red Clan, it was because she was their precious family. After all, Homra considered its members as family.

For other clans, it was her power that they could not risk falling into the wrong hands. No one knew what exactly was done to the strains, but strains had power and were being targeted based on their power-type. It was extremely likely that Rise had plans to use Anna for something horrible that could cause major catastrophes if used the wrong way.

"It seems that they have stopped targeting psychics now, but that does not mean you are out of danger,"

Before Anna could ask more, Natsume decided to change the topic. "That is why we are keeping our meetings as low profile as possible, such as us meeting in this pet shop. It's actually my nephew's and he let me use it today for our meeting...but we are going off-track here. Anna, you will reside in my home when you come to stay at Seneca. We do believe that it will be better for you to return to Izumo's on weekends because I cannot see you being emotionally well if you spent entire school terms away from those you care about. The secret of you being the princess of the Red Clan, and your acceptance into Seneca will be a highly guarded secret. In there, you will simply be the daughter of an elite whose parents are away often, so you are cared for by your older brothers and cousins,"

"Okay," That wasn't too hard to do: after all, everyone from Homra were pretty much like rowdy brothers and cousins.

"I will treat you well and my husband and I will love you like our own daughter,"

Anna recalled her saying she had a husband. "Ah, he's the principal of the boys' school, right?"

"Yes. We have a son who manages the High School, but we have no other children and it would be our pleasure to have you,"

Anna nodded. She knew that Natsume would not have her mistreated in anyway.

"There will be a lot of activities for you to do, and different clubs you can join such as the archery club or the kendo club,"

"Alright,"

Anna thought for a moment. "How is this being paid for? If Seneca is a school for the elite, then there must be some heavy expenses to cover,"

"You are Homra. All those things will be covered by us,"

Anna frowned, not liking it. It did not feel fair to her. Natsume seemed to understand how she felt. "If it makes you feel better, we do have a scholarship exam. If you exceed expectations, you will be able to enter on record as a scholarship student,"

"I would prefer it that way," Anna told her politely.

Natsume grinned. "Of course. The exam is at the end of next month. I will contact Izumo later and give him all the details,"

"Thank you," Anna said.

"I was also informed by Izumo and Mikoto that they would like for me to do a physical examination on you to determine whether they could start teaching you martial arts soon,"

Anna glanced up at Izumo who smiled, then at Mikoto, but he was not looking at her. Anna returned her attention to Natsume.

"Is it alright?"

"Yes," she replied.

Natsume turned to Mikoto. "What are you planning to start her with? You do have a broad background in several fields, including Judo, Japanese kickboxing and Muay Thai,"

Anna was surprised. She knew Mikoto was well trained in martial arts, but she had not known that it was so much.

"She should decide for herself what she wants to do-she's around fighters everyday and she's watched enough MMA fights to have an idea," Mikoto told her. Yes, she often pulled into watching Mixed Marital Arts fights by several of the members when it came on. They got as excited over MMA as a kid in a candy shop.

Natsume was right, she realized as she observed his body structure. He did have the build of someone who focused their training particularly in Muay Thai and kickboxing. She had never really paid attention before because she could not see with his entire body looking all red and he rarely ever let her tag along with him if he was in a serious battle (such as with the one with Munakata) for her to actually see his moves in proper action. However, she could now make out how he looked since it seemed her powers were developing so she could tell that he did indeed train those fields.

"Well, let me get started then," Natsume said.

She stood up again and led Anna to a couch that was to the side of the door that led out to the pet shop. She had Mikoto and Izumo open it out so that became a bed.

"Alright, out you two," she told them.

They listened to her, leaving Anna and Natsume alone.

"I will need you to remove your dress, Anna-chan,"

Anna nodded and first removed the ruffled material that hung around her shoulders. She took off the hat and loosened the ribbons to the front of the dress, allowing her to easily remove it.

Anna was down to her stockings and underwear. She wore a white slip over the rest of her, which Natsume allowed her to keep on.

She had Anna lie on her back on the bed. Once she was in an appropriate position, Natsume lifted a hand and placed it gently on her stomach. Natume began to exude her white aura. Her hand lifted about half an inch over her body and passed slowly along each of her limbs and her head.

Anna was made to lie on her stomach for a repeat of the procedure.

When it was over, Natsume helped her get into her dress.

"Anna-chan, it seems you will be in good condition to start learning how to fight. I think a good start for you might be kickboxing, and perhaps when you start school you would be interested in Aikido and Kendo,"

"Thank you, Natsume-san," Anna said. She wished terribly that she could hurry back to Mikoto's side. The things she had learned today had shaken up her world all over again since hearing the story the day before and she wanted nothing more than to be with the one she truly felt safe with. Natsume gave her an understanding smile. She could feel the anxiety in her over her future away from the people who she had found a home with.

"There's another thing, Anna-chan. It seems you probably won't start to menstruate until possibly September,"

That was something she did not want to think about. Bleeding like _that_, and from _there_ was not a nice idea in the mind of an eleven year old.

"It will be better that way because you will be around females during this time, instead of men. I think if I were in your position, to start my period in an all-male base might be a bit uncomfortable,"

Anna nodded. That was definitely true.

"Alright, you can go out now. I will talk to Izumo alone. He can let Mikoto know what's going on afterward. After all," Natsume added with a kind look, "you do want to return to his side, don't you?"

Anna looked down, ashamed of herself. The woman was trying to help her and give her good counsel and yet here she was wanting to leave as soon as she could. "I'm sorry, Natsume-san,"

She received a comforting pat on her head. "It's good to have someone you know you are safe with Anna. I will not have a bad opinion of you for wanting to be with him when you are frightened,"

Anna gave her a tiny smile, and Natsume gave a brief hug. "Go to him,"

When Anna stepped out of the room, everyone looked at her expectantly, including Mikoto. She tried not to squirm under their attention.

"She wants to speak to Izumo," she informed them.

Izumo nodded and moved to enter the room. He paused in the doorway and looked down at Anna. Having known her since she was six, he knew how afraid she was. He reached down and gave her shoulder a light squeeze.

She looked up at him for a brief moment, then lowered her head, hiding her unhappy look. The door shut behind her when Izumo entered.

Anna was about to proceed forward, when her eyes met a black boot. Slowly they travelled up a leg clad in blue jeans and let with the silver chain that dangled from a black belt. In her eyes, she saw no color but could recognize different shades of white, black and grey.

Her eyes continued upward to a toned torso clad in a white t-shirt that was covered partially by a black jacket. Finally, her eyes reached where she could see some color: the flaming red hair atop a handsome face.

Mikoto had a cigarette in his mouth that had yet to be lit.

He slowly stooped in front of her and gave her a penetrating look, as if trying to decipher her thoughts. Then, without warning, his hands went to the ribbon on the side of her head, and slowly he unloosened it. It seemed that the bow was not properly fixed.

Anna closed her eyes briefly, enjoying the deft movements of his large hands against her hair. She opened her eyes when he stopped.

Tobacco, cigarette smoke and something entirely male seemed to be coming from Mikoto. His hands pressed on her shoulders as he moved to stand up. However, her hands covered his, stopping him.

He looked at her, frowning around the cigarette still stuck in his mouth. Her eyes that had been lowered looked at him with sadness. Only once he had seen that sadness: when she had been anguishing over a vision of him dying by the fall of his Sword of Damocles. A life without him seemed like one she could not imagine, just as now he could not conceive the idea of one without her. He was afraid to loose her, and she was fearful of what could happen to her.

Softly, Anna whispered to him, "Mikoto, I'm afraid,"

Gently, his large hand cupped her cheek and he pressed his forehead against hers. He would not tell her how much he was afraid too, how much he was despairing over the possibility of her taken from him.

He lowered his face a little more so that his nose lightly touched hers.

"I know, but it will be alright: I'm here," he reassured her in a soft voice.

Shouhei had his hand pressed hard against Yata's mouth while Bandou and Dewa held him tightly. He had about to shout out something stupid like, _'Whoa! Mikoto-san! What are you doing?!'_, but they had grabbed him in time.

They did not fully understand everything between Anna and Mikoto, but they knew that they were important to each other. Anna was in a terrible situation and while it was not easy for her to accept that she was in grave danger, and the consequences of her possible capture, it was just as bad for Mikoto.

"Shut-up, stupid!" Bando hissed at him.

Yata, settled down and observed the scene before them. There was warmth. Not warmth as in heat: no, warmth as in the feeling of tenderness. It came from that scene of Mikoto pressing his forehead against Anna's in an act of comfort for her. Anna fit her forehead against his more comfortably and closed her eyes. They remained like that for a long moment.

There was a lot of close bonds and brotherly affection among the members of Homra, but...this was different...it was something special...something like love. A special kind of love...something deep and pure.

* * *

_A/N: I apologize for the delay. Lots of stuff going on. Were you pleased with chapter? I wasn't. I had a pretty frustrating time both yesterday and today, and I really tried with this chapter, I really did. I'm so sorry if you didn't find that it was up to mark and perhaps a bit boring. _

_By the way, Natsume's character is somewhat based on Tsunade from Naruto (Naruto, of course belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I lay no claim on his characters) in terms of her looks and a little in terms of her abilities. _

_Also, assuming that everyone has been keeping up with K anime, a lot of people seem to believe that Mikoto will die. What do you think? I don't think he will: I think he's too popular to kill off and the series would loose a lot of fanbase because of his popularity (seriously, I love him and I love Anna). I hope I am right in that he does not die. Otherwise I couldn't bear to finish this fic._

_Finally, I really am sorry but I really might delay the next chapter as well. I truly love writing this story. I truly, truly do but there's too much too do, too little time and so much on my mind :/ And my stupid internet is giving trouble... _


	9. A Fighter

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving. I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I failed to pick up on. _

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_Genre: Drama/Humor_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 9: A Fighter

It felt strange to be wearing on such fitted clothing without a trace of ribbons or lace. Anna was currently dressed in a pair of black pants and a plain white tank top that fell to the very tops of her thighs. Izumo had advised her to tie her hair into a ponytail.

That had been very difficult for her to do, for her hair was so long and so thick. Hence, she was currently left with her hair tied in a very messy ponytail that was shifted somewhat to the side.

Anna was not pleased by this and she almost scowled at the reflection of herself in the mirror. There came a little knock on her door.

"Anna, I'm coming in and oh-" Izumo was startled when the door swung open easily. The bartender grasped the knob of the door and observed it. He glowered at it and then looked at her.

"Mikoto did this didn't he?" he demanded.

Anna nodded.

She heard Izumo muttering under his breath and caught the words, '_drinks and insults me_' and '_damages my property_'.

"Izumo, please don't be angry at Mikoto," Anna said to him.

"He damaged the knob! It was priceless! An _antique_! It's going to need a total replacement!" Izumo exclaimed.

"But...he only did it...to comfort me," Anna told him in a halting voice and looked at him with wide, watery eyes.

"No, it's not going to work this time Anna! It isn't, it..." His voice trailed off as her eyes only seemed to widen more and sparkle with that puppy eyed look.

"You manipulative child," he muttered and sighed. "alright alright. He did it for you? I will forgive him-this time," Then he grumbled, "But he could have just asked me for the key."

Anna looked relieved and settled for a more neutral face.

It was then that Izumo noticed her hair. He covered his mouth and turned away to keep his laughter from coming out.

"Izumo?" Anna asked, worried.

He leaned against the wall and shook his head at her. However, she was concerned and was about to tug on his shirt to get him to talk.

Then she got a feeling of mirth about him.

Her eyes narrowed angrily then. "Are you laughing at me?" she asked.

Izumo slid to the floor and buried his face in his knees, trying his best to hold in his snickers.

"Keeheeheee..." was something like how it sounded.

"Hmph!" Anna turned away, angry.

Izumo tried his best to sober up. "I'm sorry Anna,"

"Just because I can't comb my hair properly does not mean you should laugh," she said shortly. Although she did try not to show too much emotions, there were times when she did, like when she got angry.

Such was the case now.

Izumo stood up and patted her head comfortingly. "I'm sorry Anna. It was just a surprise to see you of all people looking like that. You're always so cute and neat with ribbons and frills,"

Anna shook off his hand. "Then I better cut my hair off,"

"What? No! You will do no such thing!" he told her angrily.

Anna almost smirked. She knew that would rile him up for if it was one thing in her appearance that Izumo was proud of as her guardian, it was her beautiful hair. A threat to her hair was like a threat to his bar. "I won't," she promised.

Izumo sighed and picked up the brush from her dresser. "I suppose it must be difficult to get it neat," he admitted and had her sit on the chair. He loosened the ponytail and proceeded to comb her long white hair out, then tied it up properly.

Kamamoto entered the room then. "Oh? Izumo? I just came in to ask Anna if she needed my help with her hair,"

"You're too late, and you've been indulging yourself in my stock of alcohol, haven't you?" Izumo demanded of his formerly fat clansman.

"What? Of course not!" Kamamoto denied, although his cheeks were flushed red with drunkenness.

"Peach schnapps," Anna stated, defining what exactly he had been drinking.

Kamamoto gasped. "What? Anna! How could you sell me out?"

"Probably because the last time you drank so much, you did not listen to her when she said you would fall in a drain on your way home," Izumo reminded him.

Kamamoto shrugged.

Izumo grabbed him by the shirtfront and said with a menacing smile, "You remained in that shallow drain filled with nasty black mud for two hours. You had to call us to help you out because you were to drunk to get out. Remember?"

Kamamoto gave a nervous laugh, "I remember! I remember!" he assured him.

"Good," Izumo said with a genuine smile. He let him go and patted his shoulder. "Do try to sober up."

Kamamoto nodded, and seemingly started to do so due to Izumo's words.

Izumo returned his attention to Anna. "Ready?"

She nodded, with a determined look in her eyes.

"Let's go then,"

The basement of the bar was where most members of Homra went to keep in shape. Half of it was filled with exercise equipment for various parts of the body: weight machines, push up machines, ab machines and many others. There was a a shelf also with a wide assortment of barbells.

The other half of the room was empty of equipment. However, Mikoto, dressed in red pants and a black tank top stood there in a fighting stance. His large hands devoid of jewelry and instead were wrapped in black fighting bandages.

Facing him was Yata whose reddish brown hair was held back in a low ponytail behind his head. He was dressed in his usual clothes, but there was no hat, headphones, skateboard or sneakers on him. Like Mikoto, he was barefoot.

Abruptly, Yata moved back when Mikoto striked out with a punch, then flipped onto his hands and spun so that his legs lashed out to attack Mikoto. Mikoto blocked each of his leg attacks. Anna watched in fascination, the work of his rippling muscles as he smoothly and easily dodged his comrade's assault.

Mikoto swiftly moved to a low kick from which he knocked Yata's arms from under him so that the shorter man fell onto his back with a loud, 'Oooph!'

Mikoto returned to a fighting stance, let out a breath and straightened. He held out a hand to Yata. Yata grinned wildly. "That was awesome Mikoto-san!"

Mikoto gave a bare smile and helped him up.

"Mikoto isn't going to go easy on you, Anna," Izumo informed her in a serious voice as he observed the two men.

She looked up at him. He was slowly removing his red necktie. With it in his hand, he began to carefully unbutton his white shirt.

Anna was grabbed from behind from someone and her eyes covered.

"Why are you stripping in front of Anna?!" Kamamoto demanded.

"I'm not stripping in front of her, you moron!" Izumo denied.

"Then what the heck are you doing, you perverted old man?"

Anna's eyes were suddenly given light again when Kamamoto was pulled from her. Izumo was holding him by the neck of his shirt, two hands fisted into it.

"Are you still drunk you idiot? I'm helping Anna train as well!" He shook Kamamoto even harder, "and I am _not_ an old man!"

"Does that mean you're just perverted then?" Chitose asked curiously to his side.

Izumo let Kamamoto go. "You're looking for a death sentence," he stated.

Chitose laughed nervously. "I didn't mean anything by it,"

"Where did you come from anyway? You weren't here before,"

Anna turned her attention from their bickering to focus on Yata and Mikoto. She walked toward them as they turned their attention to her.

"Did you see that, Anna? Do you know what kind of style I was using?" Yata asked.

Anna nodded. "Capoeira. Brazilian jujutsu,"

Yata grinned. "I guess all those MMA battles taught you well!"

Anna didn't say anything. The softening of her face to his words were enough. She turned her attention to Mikoto. He gave her a calm look. "Ready?"

Her face became more serious then, and she nodded again. "Yes,"

"Don't start without me," Izumo told them as he approached them. He had his white shirt and red tie in his hand now. It seemed that he had on a white tank top under his shirt as well as gray slacks under his jeans.

"How come you had that on all day?" Yata questioned.

"Because I knew that as soon as we got home today, after that session with Natsume-san, I would have things to sort out at the bar and that I would end up a bit late to train Anna if I took the time to change,"

"It doesn't take long to change," Chitose pointed out.

Izumo shrugged. "I didn't want to be even a second late,"

The others seemed to accept that.

Mikoto got their attention when he started to speak to Anna. "I will teach you the basic stances, proper stretches, and then we will move to a workout to get your body prepared. As we go along, I will teach you to incorporate more techniques into the workouts. There will also be important sparring sessions to help you get a feel on how to be offensive or defensive in battle,"

Anna nodded.

They began. Mikoto showed her the different stances, each of which she copied well without help. Mikoto showed her, Izumo explained to her.

They moved on to the stretches. Anna also followed those properly. In some cases, Izumo held her up as she stretched her legs properly.

Mikoto taught her a few normal kickboxing moves: jabs, uppercut, right hook, left hook, front kicks and side kicks.

Front kicks and jabs were easy to get, but it took some time to perfect side kicks, hooks and uppercuts.

Mikoto was never harsh when he repeated anything to her, simply dead serious. He and Izumo proceeded to show her a basic cardio kickboxing exercise that incorporated the moves she had been taught as well as other moves such as side steps, jumping jacks and squats.

Anna followed them until she got the hang of the routine.

Bando and Dewa joined them. "Anna looks different without her usual clothes," Chitose commented to Dewa.

"But it would still be easy to recognize her with her hair, eyes and expression," Dewa told him.

"But even her expression is a bit different, isn't it?" Bando pointed out.

They watched her as she struggled to do some push ups. Mikoto's eyes showed no pity as he knelt on one leg in front of her, watching her. His eyes were determined. Just like Anna's.

"She seems...driven," Dewa agreed.

"She probably wants to impress Mikoto-san," Yata told them, quite certain that was the reason.

"Mikoto, perhaps thirty push-ups is too much," Izumo was telling him. He stooping close to her torso where he had his hand on her back, keeping her in proper position to do the push ups.

Mikoto, observing as Anna whispered, "Fifteen," began to nod after a moment's pause.

Anna, however, shook her head at them.

She recalled a conversation earlier with Izumo when they had returned from the pet shop.

_'Isn't it possible that my powers could be useful in the investigation?" she asked as she sipped some juice at the bar._

_Mikoto was smoking in a chair beside hers._

_Izumo smiled as he placed a glass of water in front of Mikoto. "We won't resort to pulling you out of the school and putting you in danger unless it is absolutely necessary. You can't protect yourself, Anna, and we aren't going to put you in danger especially if your powers may not work,"_

'**_You can't protect yourself_**' were words that resounded in her as she made it to the twenty-first push up. She had heard those words before and she did not like them.

I will become a person who can protect herself so that no one will have to worry over me. I will be able to come home, and stay at Mikoto's side, she decided as she pushed herself to the twenty-second and twenty-third push ups. She was going to be a fighter, and she would work hard to become one.

"Anna, you can stop," Izumo told her gently.

"I'm past twenty. I will do it," she told him and grunted and continued. Sweat was pouring down the sides of her head, she was shaking with each move and she was out of breath. Yet, she continued.

Izumo looked at Mikoto who shrugged at him and let Anna continue.

She collapsed at the thirtieth push-up.

"We should probably stop here," Mikoto suggested and was about to stand.

However, Anna, who had been lying facedown on the ground, breathing hard, reached out and caught hold of the end of his trouser leg at his ankle to stop him.

Mikoto looked at her with a slight frown.

She lifted her head which was soaked with sweat and told him, "No. I want to train more,"

Mikoto stared at her for a moment, then removed her hand from the hem of his pant leg. Then, grabbing her by the back of her top, he made her sit up until she was kneeling.

As he was still stooping before her, he easily reached down and cupped her tiny face in the palm of his hand. Her skin was hot and wet from her exertions.

"A real fighter knows his limits, Anna," he told her.

"But-"

He cut her off by shaking his head. "You will drive yourself to death if you do not have a proper understanding of your own limits. That is a part of being a fighter: having a full understanding of one's capabilities,"

Anna nodded reluctantly and Mikoto removed his hand. "We'll work with the punching bag tomorrow and we'll teach you some defensive stances,"

* * *

It was already late and Anna went ahead to take a bath. She was sore all over from her exersions and had been given an ointment to rub into her skin after her bath to soothe her. She now sat with Yata in the sitting room, watching television.

Yata, having had a bath as well, was sitting on the opposite end of the couch from her, positively fuming at the television.

_'Hamtaro! When we work together, it's much better! We like sunflower seeds...krrmph krrmph! My best friend!' _was the song being belted from the television that displayed a wide assortment of hamsters running around, dancing and singing.

"Anna! Why are watching these rabies infested rodents?!" Yata finally burst out.

Anna, eyes fixed on the screen, replied, "Because they are cute," she answered.

"Cute? _Cute_?! They're vicious, vile, nasty and they carry diseases!" he argued.

"Just because one bit you does not mean that you have to hate all of them," Anna retorted, still watching the little animals play around happily.

"How did you go from learning how to fight to _this_?" Yata grumbled.

"You can't watch MMA everyday, Yata-chan," Izumo said as he brought in a bowl of snacks. He handed it to Yata.

Mikoto entered the room, yawning widely. Anna, so fixated on Hamtaro, did not even bother to look up.

Mikoto sat on the single cushion couch that was to her side. He looked at her, surprised to see her so interested in something, then looked at the television. He knew that Anna liked cute cartoons, but he had not expected that she would like something silly as a bunch of hamsters.

"What are you watching?" he asked wearily. He was seriously very tired, considering how his usual sleeping routine had changed today.

"'Hamtaro'," Yata answered, angry. He grabbed a handful of the potato chips in the bowl and shoved them into his mouth angrily.

Mikoto stood up.

"Going to bed?" asked Izumo from Yata's side.

"Yeah," he replied in a voice that was rather raspy, indicating that he truly wanted sleep.

Yata got happy, hoping that Anna would follow after him.

"Mikoto," Anna voiced his name, at last moving her attention from the television. Izumo did not need to tell either of them anything. Mikoto bent his head to her and using her tiny hands, she placed on top of his head of rich red hair, and the other on the side of his face to press a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Goodnight," she murmured to him.

Mikoto nodded and straightened, then left the room and Anna returned her attention to the playful hamster cartoon.

Yata, meanwhile, had his arms folded with a sour expression on his face. "Don't know why she even bothers to do that here, she'll just go to sleep with him in the same bed anyway," he was mumbling.

Izumo was about to chide him, but stopped, observing the scene that was unfolding in front of him:

Yata did not notice that a red marble had quietly floated to the back of his head. Then, without warning, it gave him a hard whack.

"Ouch! What the hell?" Yata gasped, looking around to see what had hit him. He glowered at Izumo. "Did you-?"

"Nope," Izumo answered.

"Then what-?"

"Yata-chan," Anna said softly beside him, eyes still on the television.

"What?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"Be quiet," she ordered. Yata had a creepy feeling that she was going to hide her Pucca DVD if he did not listen.

Yata glanced at Izumo. "Aren't you going to say anything?" he hissed. Izumo shrugged and turned to walk out the door and back to his bar. Yata could not even watch television there because there were customers in the bar and Izumo was showing music videos.

So, unhappily, Yata waited for Anna to finish watching her Hamtaro before he was able to change the cartoon channel to the fighting one to enjoy his favorite MMA fighters.

* * *

Anna headed to bed, a bit slower than usual. She had dressed in a white sleeping tee with pink pants for she had been so sore that she grabbed the first thing she found before bathing, which was a sleeping set that she had not put away as yet that had been bought with Kamamoto the other day. She genuinely preferred her nightgowns but she did not mind this set too much.

She entered Mikoto's room. It was dark and he seemed to already be asleep. He was facing the wall, away from the spot she would be sleeping in. Quietly, she slipped into bed and lay on her side, facing him as she soundly closed her eyes as well to fall asleep.

"Mikoto," Anna's soft voice whispered about an hour later. Mikoto, whose senses were in tuned to her, awakened immediately.

He opened his eyes and turned around to see Anna lying on her back. "What?"

Her head turned slightly and she looked at him with a blank expression. "Hurts," she replied.

Mikoto frowned and sat up. "What hurts?"

"My back," she replied.

"Is it sore?"

She nodded.

"Didn't you use the ointment Izumo gave you?"

"Yes, but I couldn't reach my back and it didn't hurt at the time,"

Mikoto sighed and slid out of bed. He switched on his bedside lamp and opened the drawer to it. He also had the same ointment because it was what they used to ease muscle aches that resulted from their training.

He closed the drawer and placed the ointment in the jar beside the lamp. He then reached over to Anna and gently moved her to lie on her stomach. He turned to the jar again and opened it. He took some of it in his hand, then replaced the jar. He used his clear hand to lift Anna's hair away and raise her tee a little. He then moved his hand with the ointment onto her back to rub it into her skin.

Mikoto's hand was large and warm. It was calloused from his battles, but soothing on her. He seemed to know that it was her shoulders and shoulder blades that hurt the most because he focused there.

Slowly, the pain eased away. Mikoto removed his hand and switched off the lamp, clouding the room in dark again. Anna did not move. She felt too tired. Mikoto seemed to notice this. She expected him to turn away and go back to sleep, but he didn't: he placed his hand on her back again, this time over her tee and gently rubbed it soothingly. He bent a little and rubbed his nose into her hair.

"Go to sleep, Anna," he murmured.

The feel of his hand, the comforting tone of his voice and the warmth and scent he exuded filled her senses and created a cocoon of safety around her, making it easy for her to fall asleep. As she did so, she thought to herself, 'I will become a strong fighter, so that I can always remain at Mikoto's side like this'.

* * *

_A/N: Undelayed chapter! Yay :)_

_Thanks again for all the reviews, favorites and follows. As always, they motivate me to keep updating because I know that you are all enjoying the story. _

_What did you think of this chapter? Hope you enjoyed reading it :) _

_God bless :)_

_P.S. Hamtaro is awesome._


	10. Happy Meals

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I failed to pick up on. _

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_Genre: Drama/Humor_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 10: Happy Meals

Anna murmured softly in her sleep before opening her eyes. She was still lying on her stomach, but Mikoto had withdrawn his arm from her. It lay beside her, his hand fisted into the pillow, right beside her face.

She saw a familiar sleeping expression, where, even in his sleep he sometimes looked disturbed. Whenever he had a nightmare, the shade of his beautiful red would change, just as she saw in his chest area. She could not tell what he was dreaming, and she never read his thoughts unless he unwittingly projected him onto her (such as when he drank). She could tell if someone was blocking their thoughts from her, but she rarely ever pried.

Mikoto had his other arm cushioned under his head. His bright red hair was a stark contrast to his tanned skin, or as Anna saw, a pale grey.

Her eyes moved beyond to his ear where there was a single hooped earring.

A _very_ familiar earring.

She recalled the first time had worn on that earring: Totsuka's personal effects had been returned to them and that earring had been in a sealed, small plastic bag. Everyone had been gathered at the bar. It had been a quiet, solemn atmosphere for they had lost the one person who could walk into the room and brighten the place by simply being there.

Everyone had watched in silence as Mikoto had been handed the bag by Izumo. He had held it in his hand for a moment, then lay it down on the counter of the bar. Then, he calmly took off his own earring. He had torn open the plastic bag in a quick, violent movement. Even Anna, accustomed to him being calm around the bar, even patient and almost happy in battles, had been stunned by the sudden burst of his temper.

The violent red she had seen at that time, and the way it had darkened in the moment of his tearing the bag open in that simple action had revealed to her just how much upset he had been over their dear friend's death.

Then, without warning, he opened the earring and stabbed it into his own ear before closing it, just above where his original piercing had been, shocking everyone. He had clearly placed it in the exact position Totsuka had had his.

A trickle of blood had run down his ear. "What the heck are you doing?!" Izumo had demanded as he immediately grabbed some strong alcohol and soaked it into a cloth. Anna, understanding Mikoto's pain, had calmly taken the cloth from Izumo. She could feel the rage building in Mikoto, a rage that was going to be difficult for him to contain.

Everyone began to sense it and everyone had become anxious by it. They looked at one another in surprise, then at Mikoto, for in their eyes, they saw his red aura. Anna saw blood red, indicating volatile rage.

She had stood up calmly in her chair, her movement distracting everyone. She was on the counter next, standing beside Mikoto, and abruptly, she began gently bathing his ear with the alcohol from the cloth. Perhaps it was her gentle administrations that immediately doused his anger for his aura had receded. Everyone, even Izumo who bawled like a baby if there was a scratch to his beautiful counter remained quiet.

Anna soothed the blood away from around the earring.

She said nothing, neither did he. He had simply let her do as she wished as he lowered his eyes from her as she knelt on the counter, caring for his self inflicted wound.

Anna gazed at that earring, remembering the person who had originally worn it. The person who was currently wearing it let out a loud breath. His eyebrows narrowed and a look of obvious anxiety came over him.

She softly lay her hand on his cheek that felt surprisingly rough under her smooth flesh. "Mikoto," she whispered.

He tensed again for a moment, and then opened his eyes slowly. They slowly focused on her. She removed her hand and simply looked at him.

"What?" he mumbled in a gravelly voice.

"You were having a nightmare, Mikoto," she replied.

He gave a little snort, and was about to turn away. But then lion in him saw his favorite spot on Anna. He caught her by the back of her hair and pulled her down to him. Anna, surprised by the movement, squirmed in his hold, but stopped when she felt his cheek, raspy with a light growth of beard, rubbed against her own smooth one. It was a strange feel for she was accustomed to him being smoothly shaven against her.

He proceeded to nuzzle the hair at her temple, enjoying its soothing softness which seemed to chase away the aftereffects of the nightmare of the memory of the death of a dear friend. Anna enjoyed the feel of him, and was starting to feel very sleepy again, but she was also very hungry.

Her stomach made an abrupt gurgling noise, causing Mikoto to stop. With his forehead pressed gently against hers, he asked. "Are you hungry?" he asked quietly.

Anna shook her head and sought to extract herself from him. As she did so, her stomach grumbled again.

"No matter what you say, you are," Mikoto told her.

"I'm not," she told him firmly as she pushed his arm away from her and moved away from the bed. Mikoto sighed and rolled onto his back. It was a common habit of hers: if she was embarrassed in anyway, she would deny it to death whatever that embarrassing action was.

As Anna slid off the bed and walked out the door, she missed the way his face softened into a very tiny but warm smile.

* * *

"Eh? Anna? You're making breakfast?" came Izumo's voice.

She nodded as she cracked some eggs in a bowl. She was standing on a chair at the counter for she was too short to properly reach it.

She picked up a pair of chopsticks and began to beat the eggs with them. There was a portable electric stove plugged on next to her which already had a large frying pan in it that had butter, onions and what looked like sliced up sausages in it. She used the chopsticks to quickly stir around the ingredients in there before adding the egg.

Izumo, wearing on gray pajama pants and a black shirt, took out the two slices of toast that had popped from the toaster. He added two more to it. Like Mikoto, he also needed a shave and already had an unlit cigarette in his mouth.

"I'm sorry I didn't make it for you. I overslept," Izumo apologized.

"It's alright," she told him as she added the eggs. It was clear that she was making breakfast for him, Mikoto, herself and Yata, who was snoring on the couch in the sitting room as well as anyone else who might come in later. Yata liked to stay over on nights his mother worked late. It seemed he would be very lonely if he had to eat dinner all by himself.

"Do you want to eat in the bar? You can watch television there since Yata's still asleep in the sitting room,"

She nodded again as she used a spatula to flip the eggs. She added a bit of cheese and then switched off the stove.

Izumo placed two pieces of toast on the plate for her and then nudged her off the chair. He added some off the egg for her onto the bread and motioned for her to go to the bar. He informed her that he would give her some orange juice there.

When he re-entered the bar with his own food, Anna was there still waiting on him. He suspected that she was quite hungry, especially with that workout from the day before, but it seemed she did not like to eat alone. She never did. From before, Totsuka used to sit with her and eat, or just be with her while she did.

Yata came in, yawning widely. He sniffed the air. "Something smells good!" he exclaimed happily.

"Anna made breakfast. Get yours from the kitchen and meet us back here-bring the King's too," Izumo added.

Yata happily dashed to the kitchen and back with his food while Izumo poured some orange juice for them.

As expected, Mikoto came downstairs and came straight to the bar, attracted by the scent of food.

He sat down to Anna's left. Yata was at her right, already digging in, while Izumo was behind the counter. As Mikoto was not a big fan of orange juice, Izumo gave him water instead.

Mikoto grudgingly ate with a knife and fork as Izumo harassed him to do so.

"This is stupid," Mikoto grumbled.

"You have no class," Izumo retorted.

"Class or no class, there's no point in eating a sandwich with a knife and fork-or drinking orange juice from a cocktail glass," Mikoto said as he glanced at Anna's drink. Izumo was really a fanatic when it came to etiquette at his bar. Seriously...eggs and toast with a knife and fork was just pushing it.

Anna was normally a quiet person, but it seemed that this morning, she was extra quiet. It was like there was a very subdued air about her and she had not asked Izumo to switch on the television yet.

Mikoto noticed and looked at her from the corner of his eyes as he drank some water. She was slowly eating the very end of one slice of bread and had not touched the eggs at all.

Anna, meanwhile, had remembered the person who taught her how to make a simple breakfast.

"_Anna, want to help me make breakfast?" Totsuka had asked eight year old Anna who had awakened before everyone else._

_Anna looked hesitant._

"_I'm sure you're hungry, and you're probably fed-up of eating cereal everyday," the smiling young man coaxed her._

_Slowly, she nodded. He took her hand and led her to the kitchen and showed her what to do. He had her crack and beat the eggs, but he operated the stove and had used the knife on anything that needed to be sliced. _

"_Ah, the eggs Anna has cooked smells wonderful!" he praised._

_Anna did not change her usual blank expression, but Totsuka knew that she was pleased by his words. He had been caring for her since she had been six so he had a very good idea of what her feelings were although she rarely displayed them. He was the brother she had never had, and she had loved him very much. It was not because he doted upon her every need, but because he was sincere in his actions and had never expected anything in return. _

_He placed some of the food on a plate and had told her to eat in the bar. Izumo had come in, and had been impressed by the simple meal Anna had largely helped to prepare. Mikoto had entered the bar and had nodded when informed of Anna's actions. _

"_The King is just grateful for the food," Totsuka had told Anna as she lifted her toast to eat. Mikoto grunted, but she was glad for she knew he was also tired of cereal. _

"_Anna, don't eat with your hands. Use your fork," Izumo told her._

"_Stop being such a mother-hen," Mikoto told him, using a fork as well due to Izumo's insistence._

"_You eat at the bar, you use proper tableware," Izumo shot back at his friend._

"_She's only seven," Totsuka reminded him._

"_The earlier she learns, the better," _

"_Eight," Mikoto said suddenly, startling the other two men._

"_What?" Totsuka asked._

"_She's eight, not seven," he explained._

_Everyone had been surprised that he had remembered her age, and not Totsuka and Anna had blushed._

_She had listened to Izumo and ate with a fork, and then the knife to cut into her bread. Totsuka had praised her efforts earnestly. He had made sure she ate all of her food as well, for she had a habit of leaving back some of it. It had come to be that as long as he was with her, she ate everything on her plate, and it was only when he was with her, she did so. Hardly anyone paid any mind to how much Anna ate, as long as she had consumed most of her meal. Most of the time, meals consisted of laughter and fun and playful jabs. So many people around made it so lovely and wonderful. _

_The breakfast group would slowly become larger as other members of Homra joined in. Some brought their own food, just to enjoy with the others, while others ate from what had been made before or had cereal. _

_When Totsuka left them, such events became more seldom for the presence of the sunshine in Homra had disappeared leaving a sad, grieving atmosphere._

Anna made it to half a slice of one toast and a little bit of the eggs before she placed her utensils down. She was suddenly not hungry anymore, and there was no Totsuka around to get her to finish her meal.

She hopped down from her stool.

"Anna, you finished already?" Izumo asked.

She nodded. Mikoto and Izumo shared a look while Yata was slowly inching for her leftovers. Izumo slapped away his hand before he could touch them.

"Anna," Izumo's voice called her, stopping her in her tracks.

She turned around and walked back to the counter. Izumo came around from behind it and stooped in front of her. He placed his hands on his shoulders and observed her through his glasses. He placed a hand on her head and tilted her face from side to side, scrutinizing her.

"You're too thin," he said with a frown.

"I'm not too thin," she told him.

"Anna, this is serious," he chided her. "Natsume-san really did tell me that you might be a bit underweight."

Izumo looked miserable for a moment, then he hugged her, surprising everyone.

"What's wrong with Izumo-san?" Yata demanded in a loud whisper to Mikoto.

Mikoto merely shrugged, but he had a fair idea as to what was going through Izumo's mind.

"I'm sorry, Anna," he told her. "I took responsibility of you and I haven't been paying enough attention to you, have I? You might have gone without a tutor the coming semester and you would have become a confused teenager had the Blue clan not reminded us. You're also not eating well. I'm sorry I haven't been looking after you as I should have before,"

Anna accepted his words. He felt different from Mikoto when she was in his arms. They were both warm, but they smelled different and felt different. Mikoto's hair that spiked forward always tickled some part of her face. It rarely had any scent save for an occasional mild shampoo. His clothing was thin cotton and his warmth spilled out from him.

Izumo's hair was soft and smelled of heavy cologne. He wore on more layers of clothing than Mikoto and his warmth did not reach her the way Mikoto's did.

Mikoto was someone whose touch she clung too like a child hugging a favorite toy. He was something deep, and her most precious person.

Izumo reminded her of her father, therefore giving her a different comfort from which she found in Mikoto, but he was still someone very dear to her.

Izumo suddenly lifted her up as he stood. Anna carefully let her arms go around his neck, hugging him back.

When Izumo drew back, he gave her a sad smile. "I won't be able to hold you like this one day, will I?"

Anna did not know what to say, but allowed for Izumo to set her down on her chair again. He pushed the barstool closer to Mikoto's and shifted her plate so that it was directly beside his.

"Eat all your food," he instructed her as he rounded the bar again.

"But I'm not hungry," she argued.

"Anna," came Mikoto's voice.

She looked at him. He gave her a hard look. "Eat," he ordered.

He had never looked at her like that, and it frightened her, so she hurried to pick up her fork again and ate her food. She was halfway done and was about to set down her utensils again. She glanced at Mikoto again. He gave her a glare with his golden eyes and she hurried to pick up her knife and fork.

"Anna really listens to Mikoto-san, huh?" Yata said quietly to Izumo.

"If he looked at you like that, wouldn't you?"

Yata saw Mikoto's glare aimed at Anna decided that yes, he definitely would have.

At that moment, the door opened and Chitose and Dewa entered.

"Ah, you guys made breakfast? We brought some pancakes and waffles," Dewa informed them.

"Well, we're all growing people here so you can still share with us," Izumo told them.

The other two happily joined them at the counter. They pulled out white boxes and shared the pancakes among everyone. They offered Anna and she was about to shake her head, but Mikoto said, "Give her one,"

They gladly obliged.

"Waffle," she told them softly.

"You want a waffle instead?" Chitose asked.

She nodded and he happily gave it to her.

Yata was digging into a renewed pile of food. Kamamoto entered next, closely followed by Fujishima.

"Hey, we bought food you guys," Chitose told them.

"What did you get?" Kamamoto asked.

"Pancakes and waffles," he replied.

Kamamoto looked crestfallen. "I'm on a diet,"

Chitose came near to him with a plate with some pancakes on it, smothered in syrup. "It's blueberry, your favorite,"

Kamamoto made a painful noise. "That's hitting below the belt, Chitose,"

"It's only for today," Chitose coaxed him.

Kamamoto sighed and took the plate. He sat in a booth with Fujishima who had already gotten what he wanted.

Anna pushed aside her toast and went for the waffle. She was going to eat it plainly, but Mikoto grabbed the syrup bottle that he had been using and squeezed a heaping load of the gooey stuff onto her waffle.

Anna looked at him and gave him a little frown, indicating that she did not want it. Mikoto returned a dark look and she turned back to her food quickly.

Eric came in next, barely five minutes later.

"_Ah, the starving Chihuahua is scarfing down food_," Eric commented snidely in English as he took a seat next to Yata.

Yata, recognizing the word 'Chihuahua', had his fork in his mouth with a mouthful of pancake. He used his free hand to flip Eric his middle finger and ignored him for the rest of his meal. Eric did not seem to mind very much for he simply chuckled at his comrade. Fujishima came by and gave him a plate, telling him to eat as well.

The last two people who entered were Shohei and Bando and they arrived less than ten minutes later.

"Ah...you guys are a bit late for breakfast, aren't you?" Chitose asked them.

"It's ten o'clock. The ones who are late are you guys," Bando told them.

"We all had an early start this morning it seems," Izumo told them.

"Most of the food is gone," Kamamoto told them.

"I ate already," Bando said as he sat on the couch close to the bar.

"I didn't," Shohei commented with a frown.

"There's always cereal," Izumo told him, quite unsure if there was any leftovers due to Yata's greediness.

The look on Shohei's face indicated that he would rather not have that.

"There's still toast and eggs," Anna said softly. Being the psychic that she was, she would know.

Everyone was surprised to hear her speak. She was struggling with her waffle still and a part of her was resentful toward Mikoto for overloading it with syrup for her.

"Yes, there's still some left in the kitchen," Yata informed him and Shohei gladly went for the rest of food. Everyone resumed talking and laughing.

Anna switched from her waffle to her toast and eggs again.

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. As a fighter, you need to have proper eating habits. If you continue as you were about to by not finishing your meal, you would have burned more calories than you were consuming, leading to you becoming exceedingly thin and potentially anorexic," Mikoto informed her quietly.

Anna was startled. She hadn't realized that. She watched television enough with the guys to pick up on anorexia and its dangers so she was shocked to know that she fell anywhere near anorexic behavior.

She looked at her food. She would need her energy to do her training. Aside from getting into a habit that would lead to health dangers, one of the reasons why Mikoto insisted on her eating more, and overloading her waffle with syrup was to increase her calories considering her previous hectic workout. It would also give her energy for training session they would be having soon.

It still made her feel like the food, despite how little, was a pile of death to her. To stomach it down was difficult. However, as the atmosphere grew warmer with everyone's laughter, she found that something in her melted and her appetite returned. The more she ate, the quicker she did.

She managed everything except a piece of crust. By that time, everyone else was already full and happy.

"All done, Anna?" Izumo asked her.

She nodded and picked up her juice. She drank it slowly but did not drink it all. She was too full. When Izumo took away her wares, she said softly so that only Mikoto would hear. "It's nice," she murmured to him.

He waited for her to explain. "Like when Tatara was here," she explained.

A wave of sadness and understanding came to Mikoto. He understood her lack of appetite came from the memories of the one so close to her.

He gently placed his hand on her head. Mikoto could offer her no words of comfort, only a simple touch which certainly soothed the grief in her.

* * *

They went over what they did the day before in the training, then Anna was taught defensive stances. It was incorporated into the cardio routine they did next, combined with what they had done the day before. The other members had decided to join in too, apparently enjoying the workouts as well. When Anna was made to do push-ups, Mikoto told her that would be allowed to go up to twenty five.

They had her at the punching bag next, where the moves she was taught was put into action against the bag. Of course, little as she was, she did not have enough force to make the bag move very much, but it did take a beating from her. Mikoto used one hand to hold the bag in place while Izumo stood at her side to ensure that she hit at it properly.

The rest of guys were using the exercise machines.

Kamamoto, on an ab machine, pushed himself upright on it as he sweated profusely. "101...102...103..." he huffed as he went up and down, up and down.

"You're really pushing it, aren't you?" Yata asked him.

"105...because I have to burn of those calories," he wheezed out as he pushed up.

"But you didn't eat much,"

"106...those blueberry pancakes with heavy syrup were already 700 calories," Kamamoto stated.

Yata, sitting on a chair, leaning his front on the backrest watched his comrade hit 110 before he spoke again. "700 is quite a lot. Did you calculate it wrong?"

"150 calories per pancake, I had 3. That's 450 altogether. The blueberries _in_ the pancakes were about a cup altogether so thats about 530. There was powdered sugar on those pancakes, I take that up to 560 and the syrup was just over the top, at 140 making it about 700 calories altogether," Kamamoto replied.

Yata gave him a pitying look. "You're a sad dude, Kamamoto-san," He truly believed that he had exaggerated on the calories.

"116...117...If you ever reach the size I did, _you_ would be sad too,"

Chitose chose to wander over around that time. Kamamoto shot him a distasteful look.

"Why are you watching me like that?" he demanded.

"_Devil's spawn_!" Kamamoto hissed at him as he made it to 120.

Chitose looked offended. "What are you talking about?!"

"Blueberry pancakes you bastard. You're jealous the women come onto me and not you anymore. So you want me to get fat again," Kamamoto accused.

"Have you been drinking again? You're deluded!"

Kamamoto gave him a sick smile. "Just 100 more of these, an hour on the treadmill and a go at the punching bag and those pancakes will be gone. _All_ _goooone_!" the previously pudgy young man sang to his comrades who gave him a look that suggested that he belonged in a mental institue.

Anna had overheard their conversation. After giving the bag a swift kick, she looked at Mikoto.

"Won't he become anorexic?" she asked.

Mikoto and Izumo watched their hardworking comrade.

"We'll just offer him pancakes if we find he looks too skinny. He won't resist them," Izumo replied.

Anna accepted that, and went back to attacking the bag.

* * *

That night, she climbed into Mikoto's bed, half dead and worn out. She collapsed beside him, sleeping on his shoulder, comforted by his warmth. Mikoto awakened to her sudden movement and observed the sleeping face on his arm. He was disappointed to see that she was sleeping on the side that covered his favorite spot to nuzzle.

Anna had a strange dream that night. It was in color. She saw a lion wearing a crown. It was a ferocious lion with a brilliant red mane. The golden colored, healthy beautiful animal, however, looked sad. It was sitting on its hinds in an empty clearing in a forest with its eyes downcast sadly. It got up, moped around in a circle, then lay down with the two front paws crossed over each other. It lay its head on them and let out a huff.

Anna, feeling sorry for it, walked toward it. It caught sight of her and lifted its head. She walked to it, sensing no danger and saw that a pair of familiar gold eyes were watching her. It got up and immediately walked over to her. Despite being small as she was, it was not intimidating in any way. It pressed its nose against her temple and pushed against it warmly. It rubbed it mane of brilliant hair against her head and suddenly, Anna opened her eyes to the real world.

She found herself lying on top of Mikoto. One of his strong arms was around her at her waist, practically pinning her to him, while the other was across her shoulders. Mikoto's body was warm and hard and she was quite sure she could sleep on top of him.

Even with him constantly rubbing his face into her hair like that in his sleep. She realized that she had been sharing a dream with him again, but this was the first time that it was not a memory.

Letting Mikoto hold her the way a child hugged a teddy bear, she sighed and tried to sleep again despite his movements, and despite her sore muscles. She began to dream again.

As she dreamt, she recalled all the wonderful experiences she had over the years with the people of Homra, both when they had Totsuka, and when they did not. Unfortunately, she knew that that time would come to an end soon. Days would melt into weeks which would become months and she would have to leave.

* * *

_A/N: Delayed chapter, I know and I am so sorry. Been busy busy and I'm gonna be busy busy for the next couple of days. I could have posted earlier, but I wasn't pleased with this chapter and wanted to fix it up as best as I could although I am not pleased with it still and I have not gone over it properly to get rid off as much grammar errors as possible (too sleepy to double check...). I'll double check it when I can and let you know if I edited it. _

_What's everyone's plans for the holidays?_

_I have to visit family. Tomorrow. The following day. AND the following day :/ _

_I would really prefer to be home finishing up this story._

_Forgive me for the lack of humor in the story, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same. Happy Holidays, everyone and thank you so much for the reviews, favorites and follows. They were truly appreciated, and as always they really motivate to keep writing. Thank you so so much. _

_Have a great day. God bless :)_

_P.S. The last episode of K is this week :(_


	11. When Things Start To Go Wrong

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I failed to pick up on. _

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_Genre: Drama/Humor_

_***I've gotten a few reviews since starting this story stating that I should include romance in the genre. Just to clarify: this fic has a lot of genres associated with it besides drama and humor. However, drama and humor are the most dominant genres in this fic and that is why it is listed as such. Romance is not really the focus of this fic although it is included.I edited the summary to state 'implied pairings', but I decided to change it again to 'implied romance' just to clarify more. I will not change the summary or the genres anymore after this unless I think it's necessary._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 11: When Things Start To Go Wrong

"Eat it," Mikoto ordered Anna.

Anna looked about as displeased as Anna could get; there was a brief pursing of her lips in annoyance. She eyed the bowl of oatmeal before her warily. She did not mind the two warm waffles on her plate beside the bowl, or the apple.

It was just the oatmeal.

Oatmeal that reminded her of puke she once saw a dog throw up on the street. Anna almost shuddered at the memory.

"I don't want it, Mikoto," she insisted.

It had become habitual to have breakfast at the bar. Most weekends, the usual members of Homra were able to join but because everyone had jobs or other commitments (such as girl chasing on the part of two specific womanizers), and not everyone could make it on weekdays.

This morning, it was Kamamoto, Mikoto, Izumo, Yata and Eric in the bar with Izumo giving them orange juice or water to drink.

"Oatmeal is good for you," Mikoto told her as he stabbed his fork into his waffles.

"Why aren't you eating any?" she asked blankly. It was true: he had a plate stacked with waffles, but not a flake of oatmeal near him.

Mikoto stiffened for a moment. "Don't be cheeky with me, brat. Eat your food," he commanded gruffly as he cut into his waffles again.

Anna decided to ignore the bowl and reached for her waffles instead. She placed a hand on his wrist to stop him from taking the syrup bottle and squeezing it onto her food. He gave her a warning look through golden eyes, but she shook her head at him.

"Mikoto, perhaps you are being a bit too harsh with her," Izumo said gently, noting that for the first time ever, Anna and Mikoto were disgruntled with each other.

Mikoto gave Izumo an annoyed look. "She doesn't eat enough to give her proper energy for the training,"

"Then cut down the amount of time she spends doing it,"

"I would, but she insists on going on," Mikoto pointed out and took away Anna's waffles from her. He gave her an angry look when she looked at him again. "Eat the oatmeal and then you'll get your waffles,"

Anna glared.

Everyone _stared_.

Because _Anna_ glared.

And she did not _glare_ at just anyone; no, she glared at _Mikoto_.

"Then I will not eat them," she told him primly. Then, she hopped off her stool and moved to go away to her room, away from _him_ and his overbearing _attitude_ to her eating habits. Izumo placed a hand on his face and shook his head while Eric and Yata observed the scene with great interest. They were sitting a few chairs away from the unhappy pair.

Kamamoto was about to reach for her, to try to sway her, but Mikoto caught the back of her night dress and deposited her onto the chair she had been in previously.

"I will eat half of the oatmeal and you will eat the rest," he stated, perhaps having realized that he was overdoing it.

Anna hesitated, then nodded slowly. If Mikoto could eat it, then it had to be alright.

Right?

He pushed aside his own waffles and picked up Anna's spoon. He lifted it and dug into the lumpy meal.

He frowned at Izumo with the first bite. "Why didn't you use milk instead of water?"

"We ran out. Everyone used it up yesterday when we ended up eating cereal," Izumo replied. Mikoto tried not to grimace, but he forced himself to eat the bland, horribly textured food while Anna keenly observed him.

When he was halfway done, he pushed the bowl to her. Anna accepted it, and the new spoon Izumo handed to her. She forced the first bite down. It was really was probably the most boring, tasteless and badly textured food Izumo had ever made for her.

It did not taste like dog puke (not that she knew how that tasted).

Izumo, however, relished his oatmeal and had it at least once a day for himself and advised everyone to include into their diets. Thus far, only Kamamoto ate it to help him keep fit.

"Oatmeal is good for your stomach and lowers cholesterol," Izumo told her to encourage her.

"Anna doesn't eat a lot of oily food to have high cholesterol in the first place," Yata pointed out while Eric nodded.

It seemed that the only time the two of them got along was when they ate because they were too focused on food to care about expending energy toward anything else like arguing which would effectively ruin the meal. Unless one was eating and the other was not.

Then the one who was not eating would pick on the one who was.

Meanwhile, Anna pulled her plate of waffles toward her again and picked up her bowl of oatmeal. Everyone watched with horror and disgust as she emptied the oatmeal onto her waffles and proceeded to eat them.

Except Mikoto though. He was just satisfied to see her eating and he figured it was just her way of getting past the taste and texture of the oatmeal. He drank some water, finished his food, cleared his dishes, then disappeared to go upstairs to take a nap.

"I know he's being overbearing but he is concerned about you," Izumo told Anna gently as he wiped the counter where Mikoto had been eating.

Anna nodded. "I know,"

Her eating habits were bad based on Mikoto's standards and he often dropped something edible into her hands whenever he could and glared at her to finish it if she refused. His behavior had come to irritate her although she knew that it was because he was worried.

Over the last couple of weeks, she had been working hard with her training to become a skilled fighter. Since everyone in Homra already knew a variety of various martial arts, they taught her new moves from different disciplines. It had been a little more than a month, but it seemed that Izumo and Mikoto thought that she was progressing very well.

She still slept beside Mikoto every night. They still did not say too much to each other.

And he always nuzzled her whenever they were alone in his room and about to sleep. She did not really know why he seemed to have a thing for the hair above her temple.

It was like watching a lazy cat suddenly come to life at the sight of its favorite toy. Anna did not mind, for she indulged in his affection and enjoyed it because she knew that she would be denied it when she started school because she would be away from him.

* * *

Anna trudged up the stairs and entered Mikoto's room. He was lying on his side at the edge of the bed with his eyes closed. Anna moved to stand beside him and watch him, taking in the sight of his flaming red hair, and the beautiful red in his chest.

"Mikoto," she whispered his name.

He did not stir.

She sighed and bent a little to place a soft kiss on his temple. She rested her forehead against the side of his head, feeling his red hair as her own fell down her shoulders and cascaded them both in silvery white.

"I'm sorry," she murmured and moved to draw back.

However, Mikoto's hand was suddenly to the back of her head. He opened his eyes and turned his head against hers, while keeping his forehead pressed against hers. He drew back a little and nudged her cheek briefly, giving her the feeling that this was his way of accepting her apology, and offering her his own.

"Natsume will be here to talk to you again," Mikoto told her as he let her go.

Anna stood back and gave him a blank look. Mikoto sensed her hesitation. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Why?" she questioned.

Mikoto rolled onto his back. "She has some very important information for the both of us," he answered.

Anna climbed into bed, not caring that he was on the very edge so that she was now lying on top of him. She lay her head on his chest. He was surprised by her movements at first, but let his arms go around her to hold her in place as she curled up on his chest like a kitten.

"Sleep," she answered his unspoken question of what she wanted to do. She liked Natsume, but the woman still represented to her the place she would be taken away to, away from Mikoto.

Mikoto accepted that, and shut his own eyes. Anna enjoyed the feel of the hard body under hers and closed her eyes as well, knowing that she was going to have a stressful afternoon. She had to speak to Natsume, then head to the bank with Izumo.

She had insisted on him finally using some of the money that was legally hers since her parents' deaths. Izumo had always been reluctant to use it although both she and her aunt had advised him to use it when he had become her legal guardian.

He agreed to make it in such a way that while she was in school, an amount of money would be advanced to her in a special account that would allow her to make purchases for herself when necessary, or in the case of an emergency when she needed money. He had originally planned to use his own finances and it would have been easy to cover up her tracks because the bank in Seneca, like the school, was run by members of the Red Clan. Anna recalled their conversation from earlier that morning:

"_That money is the money from your parents that is to go to you. I am your guardian, I am legally responsible for you. When you get to be an adult, I will sign over full responsibility of your finances to you," Izumo had told her as she sat opposite him on a barstool. _

"_That money is supposed to cover my expenses, including my educational ones. The contract with the insurance companies and the banks stated that the person who had legal guardianship over me would have access to those funds in order to properly care for me," Anna pointed out._

_Izumo gave her a frown. "Why can't you sound like a normal eleven-year old?" he demanded, wondering since when kids knew how to talk law and financial matters. But then again, Anna was not a normal child._

_Anna merely looked at him._

_He sighed. "I want to take care of you,"_

"_You already do," she assured him. _

"_You won't let me continue,"_

_Anna looked at him steadily, and told him slowly, "The money my parents left was entrusted to the legal guardian of me until I came of age to take full responsibility for myself. It is their way of caring for me, even after they died,"_

_Izumo was stumped. He could not argue with that. So, reluctantly, he agreed. _

"_Anna, Mikoto's birthday is tomorrow. Do you know what you would like to give him?"_

_She shook her head. She had been trying to figure it out, but could not think of anything except to make him something like cake, or try to cook him breakfast. After all, Mikoto never really care much for anything except food and sleep. _

"_We'll have to go to the mall. Perhaps after we go to the bank, we can walk around and find something for him. What do you think?"_

_She nodded. Maybe she might actually see something he might like._

* * *

The last birthday they had celebrated was Yata's which had been July 20th. It had been lovely where the members of Homra had a celebration for him. He had officially turned 20 so he had been allowed to drink alcohol.

As Anna slept, memories of that occasion came up.

_Yata had been opening gifts while everyone looked on. He was sitting on the couch, surrounded by an assortment of presents wrapped in bright paper. So far, he had a bottle of sake from Izumo and Mikoto, a new skateboard from Chitose and Dewa, clothes from Fujishima, Kamamoto and Shohei and finally a gift certificate for an electronics store from Bando. Anna had gifted him a new hat. _

"_Pucca DVDs were sold out," she informed him as she sensed that he wondered why no one had given him any yet. _

"_Eh..that's okay. I'm happy with everything else," he replied sincerely._

"_Your final gift is from Eric," Izumo said, pointing out something wrapped in light blue gift paper._

_Eric sat opposite Yata with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. _

"_Open it! Let's see what you got!" Kamamoto urged, seemingly more excited than Yata. _

_Yata picked it up and carefully tore the paper. He uncovered a medium sized white box. He gave Eric a funny look. _

"_Did you give me something weird?" he demanded. _

"_Is that how you treat someone who kindly gives you something?" Eric shot back. _

_Yata tsked and opened his box. To his surprise, he saw a package of round, light brown cookies. "I didn't think you would get me anything at all, but thanks!" Yata exclaimed and lifted the bag and tore it open. _

_He bit into one. _

"_Do you like it?" Eric asked._

_Yata nodded excitedly and reached for a second one. _

_Fujishima, to Yata's side, reached down and picked one up and looked it over while Yata gobbled the cookie and went after his third one. He sniffed it and then gave Eric a frown. Eric shrugged at him. _

_Fujishima turned to Yata. "Er...Yata..."_

"_What?" Yata asked, irritated that his chewing of the yummy cookies was being interrupted._

"_Those are dog biscuits, specific to Chihuahuas,"_

_Yata froze, as did everyone else in the room. Only the sound of AC/DC's 'Back in Black' was playing in the background. _

_Suddenly, Yata began to retch into the box, spitting out the cookies. "You bastard! How could you?" Yata demanded as he wiped the back of his mouth. _

"_Well you did give him a chew toy for _his_ birthday," Bando pointed out._

_Yata grabbed one of his cookies and shoved it in Bando's mouth. "Shut it Bando! This is food we're talking about!"_

"_What are you worried about? They're rich in iron and protein," Eric stated as Bando spat out the cookie. _

_There was a crash and suddenly, Yata was chasing after Eric. _

_Izumo was shaking his head in exasperation while Mikoto merely looked on lazily. The others laughed at the other two until Yata ran into one of the barstools. _

"_Yata-chan,Eric-san," Izumo called out to them sweetly._

_They both stopped their running and turned to him with scared looks on their faces. They became more frightened when they saw his sadistic smile on._

"_I'll forget it's Yata-chan's birthday today if you both don't stop," he sang warningly to them._

_They both nodded and seated themselves for they knew that Izumo could be a very violent man when his beloved bar became harmed in any way by their antics. _

_Izumo suggested that Yata try his alcohol. _

_It turned out that nearly everyone got drunk that night. Except Anna of course, because she could not consume alcohol due to her age. She sighed wearily as she listened to Mikoto and Izumo's drunken insults to each other. _

_She was sitting beside Mikoto at the bar while Izumo was opposite them. "You stink of perfume," Mikoto said to his friend._

"_It's cologne!" Izumo snapped and took a long gulp of wine. _

"_It's the same thing," _

"_Leave me alone,"_

"_And you're supposed to sip wine. Where's your etiquette now?" Mikoto asked. _

"_Screw you!"_

_Mikoto shrugged and went back to drinking his bourbon._

"_You know, Mikoto, this bar is as beautiful as the most beautiful woman on earth," Izumo informed him solemnly._

"_Is that so?"_

_Izumo nodded seriously. "Yes. The feel of the wood is like touching the smoothness of her skin. The taste of the alcohol is like the taste of her lips,"_

"_Izumo has all sorts of alcohol here," Anna said as she drank some water. _

_Izumo and Mikoto looked at her. "What does that have to do with anything?" Izumo demanded._

"_Then there are many tastes of alcohol in this bar, therefore there are many lips to taste from," Anna replied._

_Mikoto looked thoughtful. "Ah...Izumo's bar is a harem then,"_

"_My bar is not a harem!" he snapped. "It is beautiful and it is pretty! Just look at the the clarity of these crystal glasses!" he lifted his wineglass to the lightbulb above. _

"_What are you doing, idiot?" Mikoto demanded._

"_I want you to see the beauty of the glass as the light shines through it and...ah!" Izumo suddenly cried out when he lifted the glass so high to the lightbulb, that it smashed it and the glass. "Nooo!"_

_There were several lights around, all of which were casting a dim light into the room so they could still see Izumo as he wailed over his shattered glass. _

"_Mikoto?" Anna said his name._

"_What?"_

"_What's a harem?"_

_Mikoto, despite being somewhat drunk, replied, "It's where some guy has a bunch of women living together,"_

"_So he can kiss them?" Anna questioned._

_Mikoto paused. "Ah...yeah,"_

_Yata suddenly approached them. "AC/DC is awesome, but I want to play another song," he said to Izumo who had an arm over his eyes as he sobbed over his beloved glass. Yata's cheeks were flushed, indicating his alcohol consumption. Izumo,came to his feet to handle Yata's demands. _

_He handed Izumo a CD which the older man proceeded to play. They were shocked to hear what sounded like fiddles that gave the tune of an European folk song. Suddenly, guitars began to play and a song in English began to belt out. _

_'Happy little, happy little, happy little boozer! Happy little, happy little, happy litte boozer!' were what the lyrics were as the music went at a very fast rate. _

"_What is this?!" Izumo demanded of the younger man._

"_Happy Little Boozer!" Yata replied. He grabbed Anna's arms and pulled her to the middle of the floor. He had her take off her shoes._

_She gasped as he suddenly held her hands and began to spin in a circle with her as he sang along the song, 'Happy Little Boozer'. _

_Anna was worried and she made a little surprised noise as they began to go faster and faster. The room was already dark, and the faces around her spinning faster and faster. Everything was becoming a blur as Yata kept spinning. _

_But it was fun! It was so much fun that she let her feet along as well to go quicker. _

_She did not laugh, she did not smile, but her mouth remained in an 'O' shape as she made her way round and round. _

"_Happy little, happy little, happy little boozer!" Yata sang. _

_The music kept playing, and then suddenly, it stopped and Yata stopped too. _

"_That was fun, wasn't it?" Yata asked her._

_Anna nodded, but held her head in one hand as dizziness washed over her. _

"_Yata, you were a bit rough with her. She will probably get sick now," Izumo chided him._

"_I'm fine," Anna told them, but she did make a zigzag movement. Mikoto was there suddenly, behind her, steadying her with his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him. He had a cigarette in his mouth. _

"_Time for bed," he told her. She nodded, knowing that it was rather late and disappeared up the stairs to his room. He entered, much later and quite sober. He gave her a customary nuzzle, then moved to his side and went to sleep. _

* * *

"Anna, wake up," Izumo said, shaking her.

When she opened her eyes, she was all alone in the bed, and Izumo was standing over her. He smiled gently.

"Get ready. Natsume-san will be here soon,"

Anna rubbed her eyes and nodded, then slid from the bed to head to the bathroom to get ready.

Natsume arrived approximately an hour later. She spoke with Izumo and Mikoto first, before sending for Anna. Kamamoto was the one to knock on her door and inform her that Natsume was awaiting her.

When she arrived downstairs, wearing her usual red and black dress made of ruffled material, she found Natsume, Mikoto and Izumo in the sitting room.

"Anna-chan, it's good to see you again."

Anna gave a slight bow in response.

"Natsume-san will discuss things with you privately, Anna," Izumo informed her and stood up with Mikoto.

They gave brief goodbyes before leaving to go to the next room.

Natsume turned to her.

"How have you been?" she asked the young girl.

"Well, and you?" Anna returned politely.

Natsume smiled. "Good. I've been good. Now, let's get down to business," Natsume picked up a disk in a plastic case. Anna recognized it.

"This is the information given to Izumo by Awashima Seri of the Blue Clan. She gave him detailed information on the growth of strains,"

Anna nodded, understanding.

Natsume continued. "There are different personality types of strains. Humans also have different personality types: we have introverts, extroverts. Some theorists classify us based on a Type A or Type B personality. Strains it seems, go through puberty based on their own personality types. There are four types: Type A, Type B, Type C and Type D. Type A's are more warm, kind hearted and quiet types. I fall into that category," Natsume informed her.

Anna gave her a blank look. "You're not quiet,"

Natsume laughed. "Growing up I was. Age brings brand new experiences that changes you. Plus, you can't be a quiet principal you know,"

Anna nodded.

"Type A's tend to menstruate like normal women. We have heavy periods sometimes and our bodies develop quite normally as well. Type B's are the more irrational type. They are grumpy, unhappy, moody and they tend to have regular periods and normal body development as well. They're just extra mean during that time of the month,"

Anna was glad she did not know any Type B's, although she had come across some in the institute when she was younger.

"Type C's are carefree, childish and happy. Your friend Neko falls into that category. Anna, you are Type D. The type that is classified as 'little adult',"

Anna looked at her. "I am sometimes called that,"

Natsume nodded. "The problem is that you are mature at a young age, but your body is not mature. In fact, it is not at the maturity of a typical pre-adolescent. That is a common issue with Type D's. That is why you look more like a nine year old," Natsume was saying.

"But I do have signs of adolescence already and I was informed that strains tend to go into puberty slightly sooner than normal people," Anna told her.

"You are correct, and that is why you already have pre-adolescent signs. The problem is, Anna, is that when you start menstruating, your body is going to mature to accommodate your already adult like mentality. In other words, you will mature at a much faster rate than the other type strains,"

Anna gave a little frown. "Why is that a problem?"

"When you start menstruating, you are going to have severe cramps. It will be very painful experience for you and while most women go on for five or seven days, you will bleed for nearly two weeks,"

Anna visibly paled at those words.

"It seems that is how your body will be pushed to maturity. By the time you turn fourteen, you will look like sixteen and when you are sixteen, you will actually have the physical and psychological make up of an adult,"

Anna was surprised by her words.

"But will I always have that kind of pain?"

Natsume shook her head. "Not always. It seems that the first year is the most difficult. Over time, the days will lessen, as well as the pain and you will have regular periods like most women. It always depends on the person, not necessarily the type in this aspect,"

Anna nodded. Puberty did not sound like fun.

"I've already informed Izumo and Mikoto. Anna-chan, the school's nurse office is equipped with medication and facilities to give you proper care when you come to Seneca. You will be under my care, so you will not have to worry," Natsume was telling her.

She decided that that was probably the only positive thing about going to the boarding school.

Anna looked at Natsume suddenly, and asked, "Natsume-san, what's going on with the Rise?"

Natsume looked a little troubled by her question. She sighed wearily. "Honestly, Anna-chan not much information was available on them except that the guy who the Blue Clan caught had a cyanide tooth in his mouth which he bit down on when he was captured, automatically killing himself,"

Anna nodded.

"We're at a lot of dead ends with them. Whoever they are, whatever they are is obviously not good and are very good at hiding up things about themselves. Thus far, it seems that they have stopped their kidnappings. Perhaps it may be because word has reached all strains about the danger that they are in so they are trying to keep more safe. You will as well, won't you? Be careful when you go out, Anna-chan,"

* * *

Izumo and Anna headed to the bank after speaking with Natsume. Anna had been pensive about going. Something had been niggling at her, telling her not to go. Yet, she knew she had to sort out things at the bank with Izumo and that she needed to get a gift for Mikoto.

After the bank, they went to the mall. It was just the two of them.

"I can't think of anything that guy would like," Izumo was saying to her as they passed a clothing store.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang.

Izumo immediately pulled Anna against him and looked to see what it was.

There was screams, commotion and people began running.

Behind them, a store had exploded. As the smoke cleared, tall men wearing on what looked like white suits came out. They were covered from neck to toe like that. There were at least three of them.

Since their faces were not covered, it was easy to see that one was completely bald. He had a big nose and a nasty smile. The other had an orange mohawk. He was extremely skinny and had a pointy nose. The third one had thick black hair and wore on dark shades. Perhaps he was the most 'normal' looking one out of them all-although there was nothing normal about their outfits.

On the left arm of each men, there was a large unidentifiable electronic device.

"We've come for you, Anna Kushina," the black haired one told her.

* * *

_A/N: I apologize for the delayed chapter. Had lots of stuff to do and got really sick (I was in AGONY last night)._

_'Happy Little Boozer' is a song by the Finnish metal band Korpiklaani._

_I don't remember much about personality types although I studied psychology, that's why I didn't go into a lot of detail about them. I made up the stuff about the personality types of the strains though._

_*****As always, thank you for the reviews, favorites and follows. They really do encourage me to keep writing and are always much appreciated :)_

_How did everyone feel about the last K episode?_

**_SPOILER FOR ANYONE WHO HAS NOT WATCHED THE LAST EPISODE OF K YET:_**

_I don't think Mikoto is dead. They showed no bodies (neither his nor the silver king's) so I think they're both still alive (the silver king is immortal anyway). I watched the raw for it and I cried at the end. Also, only Reisi knows what Mikoto was telling him when he stabbed him. I also think think that the red we saw rising up from everyone might have something to do with the possibility of Mikoto still being alive. After all, Anna said at the end, 'Mikoto, your red is still warm'. _

_(or am I deluding myself?)_

_I think I could continue writing this fic. Maybe the manga might give me some inspiration._

_The next chapter might have a bit of stuff about episode 13 in it._

_P.S. Did I turn anyone off from oatmeal? It really has a lot of health benefits and I would advise anyone to include it in their diets. _


	12. Decisions Must Be Made

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I failed to pick up on. _

_***I really had my doubts about actually continuing the story, but all you guys who reviewed really encouraged me to keep writing, so thank you so much. I appreciated all the reviews, the favorites and follows. _

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_***This chapter has stuff from Episode 13 in it...in a good way though. _

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 12: Decisions Must Be Made

Not that many months before, he should have died. Manipulating Munakata into stabbing him to kill him before his Sword of Damocles fell should have ended his life. He had lain on the cold snow, his blood seeping out of him from the wound created in his chest.

'_I'm sorry...Anna. I cannot show you that lovely red anymore_,' he had said. Those words had been telepathically transmitted to her and should have been his last.

His only regret was that he had made her cry. He was making her grieve again, so soon after the death of their comrade, Totsuka.

He could hear her scream his name as darkness closed upon him. He could hear the words, 'No Blood! No Bone! No Ash!' being shouted from his clansmen. They will get along without me, he had thought to himself.

Peacefulness, away from this lonely life was what he was going to get.

_'Judge no one happy until his life is over'_ were the words that echoed through his mind. They had been words quoted to him by the Gold King and was usually associated with the Greek story of the Sword of Damocles.

Mikoto had never judged himself, and now that his life was ending that was what he chose to do. Had he lived satisfactorily enough? Had he been happy?

His clansmen were safe, that should have satisfied him.

But yet he wished that he could extend his life despite its loneliness in order to watch them all grow and mature. He liked being among them. Their rowdiness made him smile.

And Anna in her innocence, he was going to make her cry.

His life was ending, and he was not happy.

Suddenly, he felt warm inside when he should have felt colder. His eyes widened as he saw around him hundreds of red lights. They came upon him, touched him, adding to his life as each one fell as a drop of blood on him and dissipated onto his skin, giving it life and color.

It was a part of his clansmen, each one giving him a part of themselves, just as he had given them a part of his power when they became members of Homra.

They were giving him life, to live, to breath...to not leave them.

Alive he was, and he had been found by the members of his clan. They had grabbed him, rushed him to the hospital. There, both Munakata and the Gold King had visited him.

"You were lucky, Suoh," the Gold King told him calmly. "but you must be careful with your Sword of Damocles. It is in better shape now, but should it become corrupted once more, it will fall and you will immediately die,"

Izumo and Anna had been with him when he had been informed of this, but he had accepted it. There was very little that could make him reveal his sword now that the colorless King was gone and everyone seemed to be at peace.

Nothing really seemed to be able to push him to use his power so that it went past the Weissman limit ever since, because no one had riled up his temper since.

* * *

Anna held on tightly to Izumo's leg as he pulled out a cigarette.

"Ah, so you're the guys from Rise," Izumo said calmly.

Anna could not read their minds. She could sense nothing from them, even with her red marbles. These men looked very cruel and nasty.

She was afraid.

"You're Izumo Kusanagi, the right hand man of the Red King," the mohawk said.

"Nice that you know who I am," Izumo said as he lit his cigarette.

"Hand over the girl and you won't get hurt,"

Izumo blew out a puff of smoke. "As if I would,"

"It's your grave," the black haired one said with a shrug.

They rushed forward while Izumo's cigarette suddenly created three fireballs. They went after the three men who jumped out of the way.

Izumo grabbed Anna into his arms and ran with her.

One of the men caught up with them and attempted to smash Izumo's face with his device. However, Izumo moved out of the way in time and attempted a round house kick on him which the man easily dodged. Another came from the side but Izumo ducked.

The third man came from above and managed to slam his fist into Izumo's face. Izumo flew into the display case of a store. He held Anna in front of him so that he took the impact against his back which smashed into the glass case and into the wall.

Izumo struggled to sit up. He groaned.

"Izumo," Anna said his name worriedly.

"It's alright," Izumo murmured to her with a kind smile but Anna was not convinced.

Izumo set her down and pushed her behind him. Anna, although training to be a fighter, knew that there was not much she could do against these men.

One of the men came at Izumo to slam foot into his chest, but Izumo grabbed his foot and swung him away so that he flew into a candy stall nearby.

The orange haired one came again but Izumo sent a fireball at him, making him run away instead. Finally, the black haired one stood, watching him calmly.

"It's no wonder you are the right hand man of the Red King. You are strong," he said.

Izumo cast him a suspicious look.

"I made sure to bring some of my strongest men today," the man continued.

"What do you want with Anna?" Izumo demanded.

"Just to experiment a little," the man answer casually as the other two, dusting off their injuries, came to stand beside the one who seemed to be their leader.

"As if I'd let you," Izumo said.

Suddenly, all three men attacked and the bald one pulled out a gun. Izumo gasped and grabbed Anna. He moved to shove her away as the man fired the gun. It hit the wall, missed them, but whatever kind of bullets it used, it caused the wall to explode as if it had been hit by bombs.

Izumo was partially hit from the impact of the wall, knocking him off his feet, but he had pushed Anna away in time.

She fell on her knees when she shoved her.

"Run!" he ordered as he struggled to stand, but the debris from the exploded wall impeded his leg movement and he was buried up to his waist under it as he lay facedown on the floor.

Anna hesitated and before she could do anything, the bald one came for her.

He reached to grab her, but her training with the guys had taught her to move swiftly and she moved away from him.

"Little bitch!" the man swore at her and reached for her again.

She moved away again and ducked when he swung a punch at her.

Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind.

"No! Anna!" Izumo called out.

The black haired one had caught hold of her two wrists and lifted her effortlessly from the ground. She struggled in his grasp.

"Let me go!" she cried out.

The man holding her lifted his hand and slapped it across her face, bruising her and shocking her. He smiled sadistically.

"Be a good girl for me, will you sweet Anna?"

"You bastard! She's only a child!" Izumo shouted and tried to get to his feet, but the orange haired one grabbed the top of his head and slammed it to the ground.

"Izumo!" Anna called out.

"He won't save you now. We've got what we came for," her captor told his men.

Before they could go, however, the ground began to shake oddly.

Everyone froze.

The mall was now completely deserted save for the four men and the child for everyone else had run away in fear.

However, there came soft and steady tap of heavy boots as they walked across the polished floor of the mall.

Anna felt a sense of relief when she saw Mikoto walking there, looking calm with his black jacket on and his hands in his pockets. However, looking into his eyes, Anna could see that there was rage in him.

"_Shit_! It's the king!" the bald one cursed.

"Shut-up, he isn't going to do anything once we have the girl," the black haired on told him. He pulled out his gun and held it to Anna's temple. "one step closer and the child is dead. Her brains will be soaked on your white shirt."

Mikoto gave him a steady look. "Oh? But then that would make all the efforts you went to get her quite pointless, wouldn't it?"

Anna actually felt her captor tremble.

"Let's go!" the black haired one shouted and grabbing her under an arm like an animal, proceeded to run.

However, as they turned to go, it turned out that Mikoto had moved infinitely faster, because he was facing them now.

In retaliation, Anna was thrown at Mikoto. He caught her in time as the men ran off. Mikoto calmly set her on her feet, and stooped to look at her. He caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger, and observed the bruise on her cheek.

Then he looked over to Izumo who was caught under the rubble, but still alive.

Mikoto moved slowly to his feet. Anna watched as his red aura came out and the red his chest darkened, indicating his rage. Then, the aura gathered together and shot through the roof of the building.

Anna gasped and grasped onto Mikoto as pieces of the glass ceiling fell. Thankfully, none of it hit her. However, to her dismay, his Sword of Damocles was slowly unveiled.

"Mikoto," she whispered, but he moved away.

He walked away from her, and went to Izumo who he grabbed by the back of his jacket and pulled from the debris.

He set him on the ground, then continued walking. "Mikoto, stop," Izumo rasped after his friend, but Mikoto did not listen.

Anna hurried to Izumo and touched his head. He gave her a quick reassuring smile, but looked worriedly after his friend.

Anna knew that this could mean trouble.

She chased after Mikoto.

* * *

The Blue Clan had already gathered with the disruption, and were already fighting the three men. Even they were struggling with them.

The bald one had managed to knock Seri's sword away from her and hit her to the ground. She cried out in pain when he delivered a blow to her face.

The orange haired one blocked Fushimi from going to her aid while the black haired guy swiftly knocked down several men.

Suddenly, a red aura engulfed all three of them, making them stop and cry out in pain. Mikoto stood there, hands in his pockets, his sword hanging from above as he sought to destroy the men.

The flames of his aura would soon start to burn them, and he would ensure that they burned _slowly_ to death.

"Suoh!" came Munakata's voice as he came on the scene.

"Go away, Munakata," Mikoto ordered as the men began to scream. They were already beginning to burn. Above him, a red electric lightning crackled around his sword.

"Look down you idiot!"

Mikoto did when he felt a tugging on his coat. He saw Anna standing beside him, watching up at him with panic and sadness in her eyes. He could see the images in his mind of that evening a few months ago when he nearly died.

He had heard scream out his name again in anguish.

He could see her begging him not to go.

Her hurt, her pain.

He had caused so much of it.

He watched the tears gathering in her eyes.

Not again, he decided and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and the Sword disappeared, along with his aura.

_Never again_, he decided, would he hurt Anna like that.

Anna watched as Mikoto pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Munakata approached them.

"Deal with them soon," Mikoto told him. "or I will."

Munakata looked at Anna. He gave her a look indicating that he was grateful for her perfect timing.

He then returned his attention to Mikoto. He gave him a serious look. "I hope you remember well what happen last time. Keep it in mind,"

Mikoto blew out some smoke. "I will,"

Izumo staggered toward them. He saw Seri being carried away on a stretcher in an ambulance, as well as the three men, but their hands were handcuffed. The big equipment on their hands had been removed to allow them to be cuffed. The equipment would also be analyzed to see what their purpose had been for the three men.

It was strange that they did not really use the devices in battle, and yet their extra weight would have hindered the speed they moved at. However, despite these devices being made of metal and fit almost as large cylinders on their forearms, they had moved with surprising speed and agility, overcoming not only Izumo Kusanagi, but Seri Awashima and several members of the Blue Clan all of whom were very powerful members of their respective clans.

They therefore had to be useful for _something_, and Scepter 4 would make sure and find out what it was.

Izumo turned away from the sight, just glad that Seri was alive. More importantly, Anna had stopped Mikoto in time.

"Get in an ambulance," Mikoto ordered Izumo.

Izumo did not argue and followed the command of his king. "And when you're bandaged up, call Natsume before she leaves town."

* * *

Anna gave Mikoto an uncertain look. He was on the couch in the sitting room, members of Homra gathered around but seemed to be more lurking around uneasily. They could sense serious tension from Mikoto as he started another pack of cigarettes.

She sat beside him and whispered, "He's alright,"

She was referring to Izumo. He was upstairs resting from his injuries. None had been serious or life-threatening.

Mikoto only nodded.

He knew that _she_ knew what he was planning to do, even without her powers she knew him well enough to suspect it.

"Everyone, go to the bar," he ordered.

Everyone immediately obeyed. Anna got up to go, but Mikoto caught her tiny hand in his. She paused and looked at him before sitting down cautiously again.

Mikoto still held her hand in his large, warm one. He gave her his usual serious expression. "Your hand. It's small," he told her _(you're too young and too weak)._

"This hand is not that tiny," she replied to his words, lifting up their intwined appendages (_I am weak, but not as weak as you think I am, and I am not that little)_.

Mikoto turned his hand so that hers lay on top of his. Her hand was barely a third the size of his.

"It's small," _(you can't protect yourself)._

"It will grow," she told him almost desperately _(I will grow stronger)_.

'Don't say it,' she thought, 'don't say you're sending me away so soon...so unexpectedly_.'_

"Anna..."

"Don't," she whispered _(don't say it, don't say it)_.

"Anna, stop," _(Stop, it's for your own good)._

"You can't, Mikoto. Don't send me away," she begged.

Mikoto looked at her sad grey eyes.

His own narrowed, and abruptly, he let go of her hand and used his own to touch the side of her face.

"Do you know how I feel when I see this?" he asked coldly.

Anna felt his rage building as he lightly stroked her bruised cheek with his knuckles. He brought his face closer to hers and answered his own question.

"Angry. Pissed off. These people can use you against me, and they already tried to do so today. I will not have it," he told her with barely restrained harshness.

He moved his hand to the back of her head, forcing her to keep her eyes on his golden ones. She gasped at his tight hold. He was not hurting her, but his rage did scare her.

"You can weep, cry how much you want but it will not change my mind. You are going to Seneca as soon as possible, and you will stay there until it is safe. That is my decision," he informed her with brutal certainty that made her insides shiver. He moved to stand and leave.

Anna looked down.

"Tomorrow," she whispered as tears clogged her throat.

He frowned at her from over his shoulder.

"Then let it be tomorrow. I want to see you for your birthday," she told him as she stood up. She walked to his side and looked up at him, fighting back her tears with superhuman strength. "Please," she added before she looked away and headed upstairs to her own room.

* * *

Rain fell that night and she shivered in the cold. The lock on her door still had not been fixed because she spent most of her time in Mikoto's room anyway. She was not in his room that night because she knew that he did not want her near him. A part of her understood that it was because he was angry about what had happened in the mall, and that she was now in even more danger.

But that young female part of her was upset and she could not properly accept it. She wished that he would move past his anger and realize that this was their last night to sleep beside each other until indefinitely.

* * *

Mikoto passed by her room, feeling angry still but guilty because he had been taken out some of his frustration on Anna. He had not wanted her to cry, because her tears would have made it so much more harder for him.

He glanced at the slightly ajar door and saw that she was covered with a thin blanket, and that she was clearly not warm enough.

It was their last night together, he reminded himself, and pushed open the door.

He walked to the bed and climbed in beside her.

"Mikoto?" Anna whispered his name.

He slid an arm around her and pulled her so that she was cuddled against him. He pushed the blankets away and instead used his aura to keep her warm.

"The Gold King already contacted me," Mikoto explained to her as she looked up at him. "there can be no dawdling until September anymore. I have to give my full cooperation,"

Anna nodded. Her forehead brushed against the material of his sleeping shirt. She back fought back her tears. He brushed his hand at the back of her hair comfortingly.

"You will be safe," Mikoto continued. "that is enough for me."

Yes, it was better than being served death...for either of them. After all, seeing her hurt before his eyes would make him loose control and burn things with a hateful passion. It was a part of himself that could destroy him completely, and take the lives of others with him.

She accepted her fate, with the understanding that she would see him again.

And tomorrow...tomorrow she would leave.

* * *

_A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed it. So many times since yesterday I was debating whether or not to drop this fic although I had so many plans for it, but you guys really really encouraged me with your reviews because it gave me the knowledge that you were still enjoying the chapters. Thank you so, so much. _

_God bless you guys :)_

_And thank you again to all who favorited and followed the story. _

_I had already planned for this chapter to go something like this with the Sword potentially dropping due to Mikoto's anger, so the events of episode 13 still fitted in pretty well. _

_Sorry about the lack of humor (I couldn't bring myself to add any humor at all), but I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter still. Let me know your thoughts._


	13. Farewells On A Birthday

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I failed to pick up on._

_You guys: all my readers, reviewers and those who favorite and follow this story,** I LOVE YOU ALL. **_

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 13: Farewells On A Birthday

Anna felt a familiar nose nudging at her temple, and caught the scent of tobacco. "Wake up," came Mikoto's voice.

Anna slowly opened her eyes, and for the first time, she found herself awakened by him while in his arms. One of his strong arms was under her back, across her shoulders, while the other was over her waist. The arm at her waist lifted and the hand of it was used to catch hold of her chin between its thumb and forefinger.

Mikoto tilted her face to the left in order to look the bruise on her right cheek. He made a clinical observation, then bent and nudged that cheek gently.

"Natsume is going to be here today. You better start packing so you can leave when its time,"

Anna nodded as he lifted himself from her and reached for the pack of cigarettes he had left on her nightstand.

He walked to the door to open it. At the same time, Izumo opened it.

"Oh, you're here Mikoto?" Izumo asked.

Mikoto paused and looked at him.

"I'm fine," Izumo assured him when he realized that his friend was assessing his physical health. Izumo had a bandaid on his cheek and one of his hands was bandaged up. He was wrapped in other places too, but they could not be seen because his clothes covered it up. Shockingly, his glasses had not been damaged in the fight.

"Help her get packed," Mikoto ordered as he lit a cigarette.

* * *

"Anna's gonna leave? Already?!" Anna heard Yata gasp as she came downstairs.

"Already? But you planned for September! And you said we'd have her on weekends!" Chitose was saying.

Anna and Izumo entered the bar together. Mikoto was sitting on a barstool, smoking calmly as his clansmen pleaded for answers as to why their little princess was leaving.

"It's because of what happened yesterday, isn't it?" Fujishima said.

Everyone turned to him. They did not know much details, only that Anna had been attacked and Izumo was wounded.

"Yes," Mikoto told them. "and from now on, we will be working with the other clans to take down the group."

There were murmurs among everyone, for they were surprised that Mikoto was not reluctant at all to give his help at an earlier time. That in itself spoke about how much danger Anna was in.

"When will she be leaving?" Shohei asked.

"This evening," Izumo replied, drawing everyone's attention to them. He looked down at Anna with a dismayed expression. "there's no choice now. Anna's safety is of utmost importance."

Anna looked away from him and then walked to stand beside Mikoto. He looked down at her.

"Happy Birthday, Mikoto," she told him.

His face softened somewhat and the others suddenly remembered that yes, today was indeed Mikoto's birthday and in their haste, they had forgotten.

He ruffled her hair lightly as thanks.

"It's Mikoto's birthday, and Anna's leaving," Bando said.

"I'm getting a sense of deja vu," Shohei commented to his side.

"Anna's birthday and Tatara," Eric put in and then they all realized that Totsuka had died barely a few minutes before Anna turned eleven.

"Birthdays aren't happy events here anymore," Yata mumbled, looking downcast.

Anna walked to him and gently placed a hand on his wrist. "Yours was," she told him.

He was surprised to see that Anna's face was not completely blank when she spoke. Her eyes had a determined look in them, similar to the one she had when she was training. "We'll enjoy Mikoto's birthday," she added firmly.

Yata nodded and looked at the others. Everyone seemed to agree with what she said.

"We'll celebrate Mikoto's birthday now. When Natsume-san comes, she will leave with her. Mikoto will accompany them to ensure that Anna makes it safely, but when he returns she will not be with him," Izumo informed them.

Kamamoto picked up a bottle of peach schnapps and poured everyone a shot. "Here's to Anna. May she be safe and happy until this entire fiasco is over!"

Everyone cheered and took their shots. Anna remained at Mikoto's side as she watched everyone laugh and celebrate. They were both sitting at the bar.

"Mikoto," she said his name. He glanced at her. She handed him a paper.

"What is this?" he asked quietly, as he opened it.

"My gift to you. Totsuka and I had written it before he had died," she answered. A brief memory of sitting in her room while Totsuka was on his guitar came to her mind.

Mikoto read what was written in the paper and a very vague but soft smile came to his lips.

"Are you going to sing it for me?" he asked softly, recalling that Totsuka used to hook Anna into singing with him sometimes.

"I will sing it for you, when I come back," she promised. It was her way of saying that if he wanted to hear her sing it for him, he would have to come back for her.

Mikoto nodded as he looked over the words of the song again:

_I shall sing a song _

_For the sake of this life that we have weaved together _

_There's nothing we can do about it _

_You said that as you dryly laughed _

_You thought that you don't know anything _

_You believed that you don't understand anything _

_This fist is not that small _

_My strides are by no means short _

_If there is a world at the end of the path you tread _

_I will keep up with you, even through purgatory _

_The sparkling crystals of flame _

_are burnt and transform to prayers _

_I shall sing a song _

_For the sake of this life that we have weaved together _

_You're still an innocent one _

_You said that as you kindly patted my head _

_You thought that you don't see anything _

_You believed that you're oblivious to everything _

_These thoughts are not that childish _

_My feelings shall never change anymore _

_If you say to me, "follow me" _

_I shall follow you until the end of the world _

_The fading crimson cheers _

_shall be composed into a song that is precious to this world _

_I shall sing a song_

_For the sake of proving your existence _

_For the sake of proving your existence_

"I will look forward to it, Anna," he told her.

Anna was delighted by his smile and the warmth on his face. It was rare that he ever showed that expression to her specifically, although he did smile with his other comrades.

It made her miserable to know that she was going to leave, just when they had gotten so close. Izumo came by and saw Mikoto reading the paper that had Anna's neat handwriting on it.

"Eh? What's that?" Izumo asked, attempting to take a peek.

Mikoto glanced at him, then pulled the paper downward so he couldn't see. "None of your business,"

Izumo was surprised. Mikoto was _hiding_ something from him? That just made him more curious.

"Ah...don't be like that Mikoto, what is it?"

"Tsk...go away," Mikoto told him dismissively and folded up the paper. He tucked it away into his jeans pocket and gave Izumo shrug when he shot him a surprised look.

Anna knew that the reason for him not showing Izumo was because he wanted to keep it between him and her: it was her gift to him and his to keep to himself until he decided to share it with anyone else.

Izumo scratched the back of his head, indicating his bemusement, but then he shrugged as well. "Anna, did you give Mikoto a birthday kiss?" Izumo asked instead with a warm smile.

Anna, blushing lightly shook her head. However, she stood up on her chair and reached for Mikoto. She put her arms around his neck and pressed her lips softly against his cheek.

Kamamoto had been observing them, and pulling out his phone, he snapped a picture.

* * *

Yata was undeniably drunk.

"You're barely twenty. Don't you think you're overdoing it?" Bando asked as the skateboarder who was sipping some bourbon. It was his first time with bourbon and he did not particularly like it. He only asked Izumo for it because he knew Mikoto liked to drink. Thus far, he had had sake, peach schnapps and some vodka. The mixture of the alcohol was what screwed up his head a bit-not the actual amount he drank.

"Korpiklaani drinks,"

"What?" Bando asked, thoroughly confused. He could not even make out the first word his comrade said.

"Korpiklaani drinks,"

"Kor-pik-...who?"

"Korpiklaani...they're aweeeeeesoooooome," Yata was telling him. "they sing about beer, rum and tequila."

"Oh that's the name of the band whose music you played on your birthday,"

Yata nodded enthusiastically. "Hey Izumo, play that CD again!"

"But we're playing Alice in Chains for Mikoto. You know how much he likes them," Izumo pointed out.

_'I believe them bones are me,_

_Some say we are born into the grave,_

_I feel so alone..._

_Gonna end up a big ol' pile of them bones'_

These were the English lyrics playing. "Er...my English isn't too good but...that sounds a bit too morbid to be playing for a birthday,"

Izumo translated the words for him and then turned to Mikoto. "I know you like Alice In Chains...but it is your birthday..."

Mikoto shrugged. "Play what you want,"

"Yes! Play track 1 on the CD!" Yata instructed Izumo happily.

Izumo obliged and switched the CDs.

Yata pulled Anna from her chair just as he had for her birthday. "Take off your shoes, Anna!" he exclaimed.

She did as she was told and removed her red shoes. She let Yata walk her to the middle of the floor and begin to swing her in a circle, just as he had for his birthday when the fiddles and guitars began to play.

Then the lyrics began and Yata began to spin her faster:

_'There's men underground, _

_who have never seen the sun, _

_but they really know how to paaarty!'_

Suddenly, Anna was pulled away from Yata into a pair of long, slender arms.

"You hogged her last time!" Eric snapped at him and set her down on her feet. Before Yata could argue, Eric already had a hand on her shoulder while the other clasped her hand, and he moved them in a waltz.

_'They raise their wooden pints and they yoik and sing, _

_and they fight and dance until the morning!'_

Hearing those words of the chorus made Anna feel that this song definitely applied to Homra.

She was pulled away then to gentler arms. "Anna's too short to dance like that with! And you can't dance like that to this kind of song!" Fujishima told Eric and lifted her with one arm as the band's lyrics belted out amidst the folk metal tunes. She was then taken from him and held by Chitose who was warm and smelled of Axe (she knew the brand because Izumo wore it on also).

_'They raise their wooden pints and they yoik and sing, _

_and they fight and dance until the morning!'_

"A beautiful young woman such as yourself should not be manhandled by these barbarians," he told her and kissed her cheek gently.

"Stop trying to seduce Anna, you perverted man!" Kamamoto shouted and grabbed her from Chitose.

"Stupid, who would try to seduce a child?!" Chitose snapped and attempted to take Anna away from him again. However, Kamamoto whose body felt oddly skinny, pulled back in time. Anna suspected that Izumo was going to give blueberry pancakes the following day.

"You idiots are manhandling poor Anna!" Dewa yelled and took her next. Dewa took his hat and placed it on her head, then, holding her he began to swirl with her in the music at an easy pace.

"You're not being any different, Dewa!" Yata shouted and went at him to snatch the little girl. Anna, despite not usually minding the rowdiness of her comrades, were starting to get nauseous from being swirled and pulled around like a doll.

Both Dewa and Yata were drunk and were about to have a fist fight. Thankfully, Dewa still had the sense to place Anna on the ground. He pushed her behind him and took back his hat.

_'And they fight and dance until the morning'_ the song continued.

"I shall defend my spoils!" Dewa yelled out drunkenly.

"Idiot! Anna isn't the rewards of a war!"

"I got her fair and square!"

Luckily, Shouhei and Bando were still sane and snuck Anna away so that she was returned to Izumo. Izumo was holding her now and she got the fatherly feel from him that she usually did. The song ended.

"Are you alright, Anna?" he asked as two men began to beat up each other on the floor a short distance away.

"Dizzy," she muttered to him.

"I understand," he told her and smiled.

His hold on her tightened abruptly and she was deposited into Mikoto's lap. His arms instinctively went around her to keep her from falling. "Stop fighting you morons!" he shouted at the two men who ignored them. It seemed that they had caused some scratches to Izumo's beautiful floor.

Mikoto sighed and slid off the stool with Anna in his arms. "It's dangerous down here,"

She nodded and leaned into heavily with her body lifeless because of how dizzy she felt. She was taken upstairs to his room where he lay her down on the bed. He sat beside her for a little while and smoked.

When the dizziness passed, he lay down beside her and pulled her into arms. Sleep, she thought dreamily as his nuzzling at her temple seemed to have a soporific effect on her.

* * *

"Anna, Natsume-san is going to be here soon," Izumo's voice was telling her. She opened her eyes and realized that the sun was already setting. She was lying next to Mikoto, curled up next to him. His arms were behind his head as he gazed up at the ceiling. Izumo was sitting at the foot of the bed, smoking.

Anna sat up and rubbed her eyes. She could still feel Mikoto's warmth and scent on her. To get up and get ready to leave would mean to wash away him away from her body when she took a bath. However, she knew what she had to do and nodded.

She slid from the bed without looking at Mikoto and hurried to get ready to leave.

She would still have him for the ride to Seneca.

* * *

Anna had to forego her lolita styles. No more lolita dress, hat, ribbons, frills or anything of the sort. No; she had to wear on plain blue jeans and a girlishly pink t-shirt with a heart at the front. Kamamoto, now more sober, had come up to comb her hair from her.

"No matter how you look at it, Anna still stands out," Izumo commented as she sat in the bar a short time later while waiting for Natsume.

Fujishima, standing at the bar nodded in agreement.

She was too pretty.

Eyelashes too thick and long, hair to light and skin too pale.

She was too much like a well crafted doll for her to fit in with other children.

"Do you think she will be alright?" Yata asked, concern written on his face.

Mikoto walked past them, freshly showered and wearing on his usual jeans with a white shirt with sleeves that went just past his elbows.

"She will be," he said with a cigarette stuck in his mouth. After all, every cub had to learn to grow and become a little more independent although Mikoto had no problem with Anna being dependent on him for the rest of her life. However, he knew that was a selfish was of thinking.

Anna needed to find herself. It was not just a matter of safety, it was a matter of growth for her to learn to be the person _she_ wanted to be, and _not_ the person who Homra wanted her to be.

As mature as she was already, the speedy physical growth spurts would spur on more psychological and emotional growth for her and that was what could have a serious impact on her as an individual, own-minded person.

Who knew what she would become?

Well, whatever happened, she would always be their princess: the princess of Homra.

* * *

Natsume had had a designated driver who was another trusted member of the red clan. The car was a limo that took them to Seneca. The drive was an hour long. Before leaving, everyone had proceeded to give her hugs and had encouraged her to be strong. There were assurances that she would be okay, that they would see her again soon.

When she left, everyone decided to drown their sorrows in alcohol.

During the drive, Natsume talked to them about several things.

Anna was sitting beside Mikoto, listening to her speak.

"From now on, you will have to address me as Natsume-sensei. You can always call me Yuki in private, but that is your choice," she was telling her. Anna nodded.

"Also, I believe that I had Izumo inform you that the scholarship exam was postponed to next week Tuesday. Do you think you will be prepared for it?"

"I will be,"

"Excellent. Now, in the school, no one is to know you are staying with me. If anyone asks, you are simply from a very rich family and your parents are dead. Your older brothers and cousins care for you,"

"Yes,"

"My home is a more private area and the security of the school are all Red Clan members. They know who you are, they will be on their guard for you. Some teachers, the security, my husband and my son are the only people who know who you are because they are the members of the Red Clan. It is our secret and we will do our best to look out for you,"

Anna nodded.

Natsume then handed her a folder. "As it is nearly a month before the official semester, we do have many clubs open if you would like to join and participate. Many of our students stay in extra early just to get an early start on club memberships. These are the current active ones. I thought you might like to see them on the trip,"

Anna accepted the folder and opened it. There were several pages with data on all the different clubs such as who headed headed them, what their activities and goals were. Mikoto glanced at them from his side.

There were various martial arts clubs. She had already decided to do kickboxing, kendo and aikido as long as her timetable allowed for it. Her hands paused on something that was unexpected.

Ballet.

There was ballet club.

Mikoto saw her eyes on it, but said nothing. He did have a vague recollection of her aunt once saying that she used to ballet until her parents' deaths. Well, he wouldn't hold it back from her. In fact, he would actually encourage her toward it.

As ballet was more associated with females, he felt that she should not loose her femininity by becoming a completely rough fighter due to being a part of a male dominated clan. In his mind, he believed that doing ballet would help her retain some of her girlish charm.

Anna saw that there was also a chess club and an archery club. Everything was so interesting and she really wanted to be a part of it all.

"You are welcome to do as much as you like as long as you have the time for it," Natsume told her.

"Make sure she doesn't overdo it," Mikoto told her. He then gave Anna a hard look, "and make sure she eats properly."

"I'll do my best," Natsume promised.

Anna handed her back the folder after closing it.

"Do you have thoughts on what you would like to do?"

"Yes," she replied.

Natsume grinned. "Excellent. Once you complete the exam next week, you can go ahead and join the clubs,"

"Thank you," Anna told her.

There was silence for a while, before Mikoto broke it. "What did Scepter 4 say about the equipment they found on the men?"

Natsume was startled by his question. "Is it alright-"

"Yes, let Anna hear so that she will know what she is in danger of," Mikoto replied to her unfinished question.

Natsume glanced at Anna whose eyes were on her. She seemed to be expressing interest, despite her blank expression.

Natsume nodded. "Not much seems to be known as of late except that somehow, the equipment gave them the ability of strains. The speed and agility they move with are reminiscent of strains. Scepter 4 looked into it and it seems that the devices were made in such a way that it took the power of strains and then created an invisible power field on their bodies allowing them the ability to utilize that power,"

Anna instinctively moved closer to Mikoto at Natsume's words.

"How is that possible?" Anna asked softly.

"The degree of technology is so sophisticated that its difficult to discern much as of late. In fact, what I have just told you is purely theoretical. I was called upon to give an evaluation of their internal system. The strange thing is that although I could find nothing wrong with them aside from the injuries from their fight, I could find nothing wrong with their blood, _yet_ blood samples revealed a strange chemical composition that we've never seen before,"

Anna's eyes widened. She felt Mikoto tense beside her, the only indication of his concern.

"Something...is blocking your power," Mikoto realized.

Natsume nodded. "Somehow my power is being blocked, as well as Anna's from being used against them. We are not sure how this is possible, and if it has anything to do with the strange chemical compound. We're looking more into these matters,"

Anna looked up at Mikoto. He placed a reassuring hand on her head.

A part of him wished very badly that he could keep her by his side, always, but that just wasn't possible if they wanted to take down the Rise.

He looked at Natsume.

"They're powerless against kings," he said, recalling the fight yesterday.

"Yes, it seems so,"

Mikoto frowned.

"If you're worried about Anna being separated from you is giving them the opportunity to get to her, I think you are right to be worried, but she is in our care. She will be highly protected, and you know that based on what I've told you about her growth that she cannot stay at Homra. She will need specialized care. She needs to be educated, and she needs to be more free to grow into a beautiful person,"

Mikoto fought back a sneer despite the truth in those words. Instead he sighed and lightly ruffled Anna's hair. "You'll be safe," he murmured to her.

They pulled up in front a pair of huge gates. They automatically opened and the car drove inside.

Anna looked at the area around. She almost shivered despite being close to Mikoto's warmth.

There were many trees along the winding road they were following, most of which were coniferous forest. The ground looked cold.

Everything looked cold.

Heck, she could almost swear the vehicle nearly skidded on a patch of ice.

They approached another pair of gates which automatically opened to welcome them. They turned left to _another_ set of huge gates which entered into a compound where a peach colored mansion lay. There were lights on in every window of the large house, indicating that someone was definitely occupying it.

"This is my home, Anna-chan. You will be staying here from now on,"

* * *

Mikoto re-entered the bar. Everyone was still there, either drunk, passed out or hung-over. Eric was passed out on the couch, Yata was on the ground beside the couch, sleeping it seemed. Kamamoto was drinking water in a corner booth with Fujishima and Dewa facing him. Dewa had his face in his hands as he groaned while Fujishima groaned at him to groaning.

Chitose was slumped over the bar while Bando had his head on it and Shohei was sipping something red at the counter. Perhaps tomato juice.

Izumo was cleaning a glass, seemingly sober. He could not consume alcohol because he had been given medication for his injuries to fight off any infections and alcohol would render their effects useless.

When Mikoto entered, everyone looked up slightly, gave a mumble of welcome, then fell back to their original positions.

Mikoto walked to the bar counter and sat beside Chitose.

"How was it?" Izumo asked him.

Mikoto shrugged.

"She's alright then?"

He nodded.

"_This is your room, Anna-chan," Natsume informed her after leading her and Mikoto up a massive winding staircase. They had walked down a hall with puddle deep carpets to come to a room with a mildly yellow doorway with gold paint engraved into the border._

_Natsume had opened the door to reveal a simple room with a dresser and chair that were similarly designed to the door. The bed was canopied and piled high with rich covers and pillows. The walls were white and the carpets red. The room was truly pretty and perfect for a girl._

"_What do you think?" Natsume asked her._

"_It's lovely. Thank you," Anna replied._

_She was certainly a bit awed by the wealth displayed by Natsume, but she was not a person who cared for so much for material things. Of course she liked certain clothes, shoes and accessories but first and foremost, she valued the people in her life above anything else._

_She looked at Mikoto. "It's a good place," he told her. _

_Anna nodded. _

_What more could he say?_

"_I'll leave you two alone. After all, it **is** farewell from here,"Natsume told them, and headed downstairs._

_Mikoto ushered Anna into the room. _

"_Do you want any help to unpack?" he asked her._

_She shook her head. _

_He placed the suitcase beside the dressers so that it would be easy for her to unpack when she was ready to do so. _

_He placed a kind hand on her head. "Be safe, Anna," He turned to go and was almost to the door when he heard her sniffle._

_He was hoping to leave before she cried because her tears made it so much harder to go, especially with the memory of much he had hurt the last time he had nearly died. He suppressed a sigh and turned around._

_A crystalline drop was sliding down her cheek, and down her face. She walked to Mikoto as he stooped down. She slid her arms around his neck, hugging him. He slid his own arms around her, holding her to him._

_This was the last time he would hold this little body against his and draw any comfort from her, or offer her any. His little Anna was going to be separated from him, for a time neither knew for how long. _

"_It could be next week you come home," he told her._

"_It won't be, and you know it," she sobbed. _

_Mikoto drew back his head and pressed his forehead against hers. His hands lifted to her cheeks and wiped at the tears that were being shed with his thumbs. "You'll come home sooner than you think, Anna," he told her gruffly. _

"_Please be there when I come back," she whispered to him, for the memory of his near death was still on her mind._

_He raised his head and kissed one wet cheek. "I will be, but you need to be safe," He kissed the other cheek. "And careful."_

_His final kiss was a lingering one to her forehead. "You owe me a song," he reminded her as he drew back._

_Anna managed a faint smile for that. Even he was able to draw out a very vague one for her. He picked her up and carried her to the bed where he lay her down carefully onto the soft sheets. He nuzzled her temple, enjoying for the last time, the feel of her soft hair, and the freshwater scent. This affectionate gesture made her drowsy as always and combined with her recent crying, she fell asleep._

_Mikoto drew back a little when he realized that she had fallen asleep. He sighed and kissed her cheek one last time before he moved away from her, leaving the little girl, the cub he protected, the one Izumo called his 'security blanket'. _

_They would see each other again. _

_They would._

Izumo placed a glass with bourbon in front of Mikoto. He gave his friend a sad smile. "Happy 25th, Mikoto,"

* * *

**_A/N: You guys are really awesome. Thank you so much for the words of encouragement to keep writing the story, the fact that so many people have enjoyed it thus far humbles me and I will keep with it. I thought to myself, if these guys can bear to continue reading my story, then I can definitely bear to continue writing it!_**

_The song that Anna 'wrote' for Mikoto is actually her character song in the anime. It is called 'Honoo no Katachi'. It is sung by Yui Horie, Anna's voice actor in the series. I believe the lyrics were by Gora. It is very beautiful. For anyone who has not heard it yet, it's on youtube and the lyrics in English, Romanji and Kanji can found on Wikia. I lay no claims at all to this song and it belongs to its respective creators._

_I had Korpiklaani, the Finnish folk metal band in a previous chapter (they sang 'Happy Little Boozer). They really do sing a lot about alcohol, but their music is really good (if you're a fan of heavy metal). ****Also, don't drink and drive and don't abuse alcohol. It's all good and fun until someone gets hurt._

_I'm not a big fan of Alice in Chains, I just always liked the song 'Them Bones' from them. When I first started watching K, I kept thinking that that song really reminded me of Mikoto, and that I could picture him listening to them. Strangely enough, while writing this chapter when I was adding in the lyrics to 'Them Bones', I decided to look up the video for it. I had never seen it before, or really seen Alice in Chains. To my surprise, Layne_ _Staley_,_ the lead vocalist, kinda reminded me of Mikoto (clothes and cigarettes). _

_I guess it's because Mikoto is a bit grunge-like and Alice in Chains is a grunge rock band. RIP Layne Staley (don't do drugs, kids)._

_**Thanks so much again for the reviews, they really encourage me, and thanks so much for all those who favorited and followed the story. You guys are all so beautiful, God bless.**_

_Finally, what did you think of this chapter? Let me know your thoughts. _

_P.S. I have another idea for a story between Mikoto and Anna, an AU with heavier romance. It was some drabble I thought up and already wrote yesterday (trying to get over misery for the end of the series). It might be a bit weird and OOC. What do you think? Should I post it? This fic will be my main focus, of course even if I do another fic. _

_Thanks for reading :)_


	14. Maria Yubikiri

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I failed to pick up on._

_Thank you guys who reviewed. They were really encouraging and truly appreciated, and thank you to all who favorited and followed this story and who continue to do so. _

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_***I would advise anyone reading this chapter to read the manga first. _

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 14: Maria Yubikiri

"I thought I might find you here. You must really be lonely without her," Izumo's voice said from the doorway.

Mikoto, sitting on Anna's bed, looked up at him, but then returned his attention to what was in his hands.

It was the picture of Anna and her parents where she was laughing so happily with them. Izumo walked over to his friend, cigarette in his mouth and glanced down. He saw the picture and smiled sadly.

"We never got her to laugh like that, huh?" Izumo murmured. He took the picture from Mikoto's hands and looked at the adorable face of his adopted daughter from when she was very little. "I wonder what sort of child she was back then?"

* * *

_A fourteen year old boy with fiery red hair was walking moodily down the street with his hands shoved into his pockets. He had on his middle school uniform that was black with matching pants. He hated it. It pissed him off._

_The exhaust from the cars that passed on the street pissed him off._

_Heck, it was hot out, so the **sun** pissed him off!_

"_What a scary face to have on for such a handsome young man," a pretty woman with dark hair said to him. She had a cute child in her arms. The baby was chubby with white hair and gray eyes and chubby, chubby cheeks. _

_Mikoto stopped and said blankly, "Cougar,"_

(A/N: A cougar is a slang term for a much older woman much who has a sexual interest in a much younger man)

_He knew that the woman was not attracted to him, but it **pissed him off** when anyone commented on his **pissed off** expression._

_The woman's mouth dropped open in shock. "What?! How disrespectful!"_

_Suddenly, the baby began to wail. The woman gasped. "Now look at what you did! I finally got her to calm down and now she's crying again!"_

"_That's because you're shouting," Mikoto pointed out, about to move on and mind his own business._

"_You made me shout!" the woman snapped and then turned to her child, who seemed to be about a year old,and tried to comfort her. "there there, my love. You were sick recently, and I don't want you to get ill like that again so you have to stop crying...oh my poor baby..."_

_Mikoto would have liked to move on, forget the woman and her brat. _

_But he did have a part to play in making the child cry. Sighing, he turned back to the woman and walked up to her. _

_The woman stopped when the young man was before her. "Let me hold her," he said. The woman gave him an uncertain look, then handed him the wailing child. As soon as the child was in his arms, she looked up at him and stopped crying. Despite his sour face, he always seemed to get children to calm down around him._

_She is very cute, Mikoto admitted to himself grudgingly when he saw that her wide eyes were framed by thick eyelashes. In fact, she was just like a baby doll. The baby seemed to be giving him an awed look, and strangely, her eyes seemed to be reflecting a mild red color. _

"_Be quiet, kid. You don't want to get sick again, do you?" he demanded. His voice was rough, but not harsh._

_The child seemed to understand, and suddenly, she smiled!_

_Her adorable grin revealed a little tooth on her bottom jaw that was just coming out. She looked beautifully happy and Mikoto found himself almost blushing as he was wondering why in the world he, this rough, bad-tempered boy, was holding something so adorable. _

_He immediately handed the child back to her mother. _

"_Thank you," the mother said kindly._

_Mikoto nodded curtly and walked off, while the child stared after him, seemingly in fascination. _

_"Hey Mikoto, what's up?" Izumo asked as his friend came up to him._

_"Go away," Mikoto snarled._

_Izumo was shocked at his friend's words and tone of voice. "What's the matter with you?"_

_"My manliness feels compromised," he mumbled to himself, recalling very adorable chubby cheeked baby with pretty, pretty eyes that would make even the beastliest man go, 'Awww...'_

_"Eh? What did you say?" Izumo asked, wondering if he heard wrong._

_"Nothing. Let's just go,"_

_Izumo shrugged, following after his friend. He assumed that he must have heard wrongly what Mikoto had said. _

Who would have thought, Mikoto was thinking to himself as he took the picture from Izumo and replaced it, that that child would someday be living with him.

He had never realized that Anna had been that child from back then. In fact, over the years that memory had been stashed away in the back of his mind. When he had first met Anna, he had thought that she had reminded him of someone, but he couldn't quite place her.

It was only that day when she had been crying upstairs and he found her with the picture that he realized that Anna had been that child, and he had been gifted the opportunity to see her smile like that.

"We made her laugh, Izumo," Mikoto assured his friend as he stood up. "she just expressed it in a different way."

Izumo smiled. "There's work to be done isn't there?"

"Yeah," Mikoto said as he turned to walk out the door.

* * *

To wake up later and find Mikoto already gone had been pure misery for Anna, but she had endured worse and she would endure this until she could go home. It was Natsume who had awakened her.

"I'm sorry, I know that you must probably be tired but you need to eat before we call it a night and my husband and son would like to meet you,"

Anna nodded. "There's a bathroom two doors down. You can wash up and get ready for bed before you meet them. You'll have a late dinner. Would thirty minutes be enough time?"

"Yes. Thank you," Anna told her.

Natsume gave her a sympathetic look. She gently touched Anna's head and smiled the way a kind mother would, "I know Mikoto's gone, Anna-chan but he will be back. To ask you to like me as much as Mikoto, or any other member of Homra might be too much, but could you like me at least almost as much?"

Anna was surprised by her words. They were not condemning, but kind and even comforting in a strange way.

She lowered her head and nodded.

"I would appreciate that. Now, go get ready,"

Anna was wearing on a long sleeved white night dress that feel to her ankles. It was high necked and had a black ribbon on the bodice. She walked slowly into the dining room which she had been instructed to enter.

There was a long table in it with several dishes on it, much of which looked like luxurious food. Seated already was a slim older man with long gray hair that was tied in a ponytail. He had a kind smile on his face. Anna knew that had to be Natsume's husband. He was seated at the head of table. To his left side, Natsume sat and to his right, there was a young man, perhaps as a little older than Izumo.

He had black hair and he was smiling as well, but Anna could sense that he was not too pleased by his presence. She already figured why: she was intruding on his family life. That expression that he had was similar to the one her had started to get when she was expecting her first child. A forced smile.

"Anna-chan, this is my husband, Haru Natsume."

"Hello little one, you are quite adorable," Haru told her. He beckoned her to him and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, the way a grandpa probably would give his grandchild. Anna liked his warmth. "You can call me Haru-san."

"And this is my son, Ryosuke," Natsume introduced her son.

Anna gave him a polite bow. He gave her a hard look, then turned away abruptly, his fists clenching.

"Ryosuke? Why are you being so impolite?" his mother demanded angrily.

Ryosuke turned back to Anna, this time looking more genuinely friendly. "I wanted to dislike you, but you are so cute!" he exclaimed and gave her a big hug.

Anna almost smiled. He reminded her of her rowdy crew back at Homra. She knew that Mikoto chose him to be in the Red Clan for a good reason.

He let her go and she was ushered into a chair. She was told to choose whatever she wanted to eat. There was a wide variety of both Western and Japanese food and while everyone else tucked happily into their food, Anna managed down only a little mashed potato and peas.

Natsume frowned at her. "Anna-chan, Izumo told me that your eating habits were terrible. Mikoto also mentioned it to me. Do try to eat some more,"

Anna really tried, but she could stomach nothing else. Natsume decided that perhaps it was her psychological response to the misery she felt at being away from Homra.

"Thank you for the meal," Anna told the three people. They gave her warm smiles and allowed her to go up to bed.

And sleep did not come for many hours for on her mind was Mikoto. She would be beside Mikoto at this time, curled either against him, or very close. Close enough to perhaps even share the same breath.

She had promised herself not to cry anymore, yet, her pillow was soaked with her tears that night.

* * *

"Here, it's the Blue King," Izumo was telling Mikoto.

Mikoto frowned and accepted the phone from his friend. He saw Reisi's familiar face on it.

"Missing that cute child already?" Munakata asked.

Mikoto narrowed his eyes. Munakata continued, "Do not worry. The Gold King was the one who informed me of her departure although he did not say to where,"

"What do you want?"

"Must you always be so rude?"

"I'm actually being quite nice today,"

Munakata chuckled. "Is that so? Well, we may need to get some information from one of your clansmen,"

Mikoto immediately became serious and it could be seen by the way his eyes darkened dangerously.

"Why, and which one?" he demanded.

It was no secret that Mikoto was protective of his clansmen.

Munakata also became serious. "Suoh, we've been tracking the patterns for the recent kidnapping attempts on strains. The Rise have not kidnapped anyone yet...at least it isn't confirmed,"

"Cut the bullshit and tell me what's going on," Mikoto cut in, irritated at Munakata's roundabout explanation.

Munakata adjusted his glasses. "Very well. The recent attempts on strain kidnappings have been on assassin-type strains,"

"How did you find out?"

"Because assassin-type strains are known for speed and agility which is what the power given to them by the equipment was,"

"Go on,"

"We weren't too sure until another strain came to seek sanctuary with us due to the current situation. She is an assassin as well, and she told us one of her colleagues, another strain, went missing,"

"Which one was that?"

"An associate of your clansman, Yo Chitose. I'm talking about Maria Yubikiri,"

Mikoto and Izumo glanced up when they saw Chitose standing before them. He had had heard everything.

Mikoto held the phone out to him and he took it quickly.

"Maria's missing?" he demanded of Munakata.

On the screen of the phone, the Blue King nodded. "When did you find out?"

"Last night. We were only told that she was supposed to meet her colleague and together they would come in and receive our protection under Act 23 of the Sanctuary Regarding Strains Treaty,"

"And you haven't heard from her since?"

"No. Do you know anything at all? When was the last time you spoke to her?"

Chitose smirked then. "I think things may work out well for us, as long as we have enough time,"

Chitose had lost contact with Maria over the last couple of months. He had accepted her for all that she was: violent when the wrong buttons were pushed, stalkerish when promises were broken, and a freaky assassin when tampered the wrong way.

Yes, she had many faults and when she was bad, she was _very_ bad.

However, Maria was a person who had to be pushed to behave psychotic. Generally, she was a lovely person and could be quite gentle.

For all his womanizing ways, Chitose had to admit that there was no other woman like Maria Yubikiri. She could be sweet, she could be kind, she could be gentle and the most affectionate and loving woman one could ever come across.

But she was also one of the most insecure.

She was well proportioned and quite curvaceous. So no, she was not insecure about her body. Her face was quite pretty and if she could make a grown man blush by simply blinking.

It was not her long, luxurious black hair either. Absolutely not! Chitose used to love sinking his fingers into the rich blackness of it.

Maria's insecurities stemmed from what she was: a strain. Killer type strains. Based on the personality type scale for strains, she was a Type A. Her erratic behavior could make her be classed as Type B, but as with most personality scales, the characteristics that were most prominent in a person were what classified them in one Type although they would display characteristics of another Type.

To Chitose, she was beautifully unique.

Yet, she hated herself for her power because she had been called a monster for it. It was something that scarred her heart for a long time.

It was what separated her from Chitose.

_Chitose stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her soft body, keeping it close to his warm one. "We'll make things work, Maria," he was telling her. _

_Maria pulled out of his arms and turned around. She shook her head at him. "It won't. I'm too much like a monster,"_

"_Damn it, I have powers too!"_

"_It's not the same thing, Chitose," she pointed out. Her eyes began to fill with tears, "I couldn't bear if you looked at me with hatred in your eyes."_

_Chitose cursed and turned away. He pulled out a cigarette. "I'm not going to beg, Maria. If you think so little of yourself that you can't be with me, then you really shouldn't," He shot her a glare over his shoulder, "the most unattractive thing in a woman, is a lack of confidence."_

_He had been angry and he had said mean things. Her shocked and hurt face had been engraved in his mind, but he had been too upset to care._

* * *

"You gave up your womanizing habits for her?" Kamamoto gasped in shock when he listened to what Chitose was telling him as they sat in the van with Shohei, working on some computers.

Chitose sneered at him.

"She was worth remaining loyal for. We didn't keep in contact for months, and then one day we bumped into each other. We had coffee just yesterday. Yes, I flirted with a lot with girls, but I couldn't bring myself to be serious with anyone. When this incident with the strains happened, I spoke to her about it. When we met yesterday, she told me of her plans to take the shelter offered by Scepter 4 based on the Treaty. Since I was worried, I still placed a tracking device on her when she wasn't looking,"

They were currently attempting to trace her.

"She's an assassin, don't you think she noticed?" Shohei commented.

As Chitose's eyes followed a map on the computer screen, he replied, "She probably did, but it seems that she was alarmed enough about the situation to not remove it; look,"

On the screen, there was an aerial view of Shizume City where the clans resided. A red light was blinking, indicating that this was Maria.

"She seems to be moving quickly. Think she's in some vehicle of the sort?" Kamamoto questioned.

Chitose nodded. "Probably. Let's get going. Inform everyone, including the Blue King and head out after her,"

* * *

"_I've missed you," the handsome man with dark brown hair and eyes was telling her as he sat across from her in the booth of the coffee house. His hand was covering hers as he looked at her with eyes full of misery. _

_Maria smiled back sadly. "Isn't a woman without confidence unattractive?"_

_Chitose looked ashamed then. "I was angry, Maria. I didn't mean of those words. I lashed out and said those things because you hurt me by not wanting to make things work between us,"_

"_I know I hurt you, but I just couldn't bear the thought of you looking at me with fear in your eyes one day,"_

_Chitose looked thoughtful. "Well...to be fair...I have looked at you like that before,"_

_That was after their first meeting._

_Maria actually gave a little chuckle, "Well, I did give you reason to run from me, didn't I?" Her expression became more serious then. "But I don't want you to be afraid of me on a daily basis,"_

_Chitose reached out and cupped her cheek gently. "Maria, I'm a member of the Red Clan. We're generally a bunch of fearless guys,"_

_Maria was smiling again. "You are, aren't you?"_

_He stroked her cheek gently. "You did miss me, didn't you?"_

_She had. Everyday she would look at the picture of him that she kept in a heart-shaped locket she always wore. She would wonder so many times if she had made the wrong decision, and she was fast realizing that perhaps she had. _

"_You did," Chitose murmured._

_She looked at him. His eyes were serious. "We'll make this work, Maria. I won't beg, but I am asking you to give this a shot. Have faith in me,"_

_Maria covered his warm hand that was over her cheek. "Do you believe that much in us?"_

_He nodded._

_She smiled sadly again. "Chitose, they are targeting assassin-type strains now,"_

_Chitose's eyes widened. She lowered their hands from her, but held onto his on the table. "You were informed of the Rise, weren't you?"_

_He nodded. _

"_I am powerful, but these guys are extraordinary. As strong as I am, I do not believe myself capable of fighting them. I need protection,"_

"_Maria, I will protect you," Chitose stated. _

"_Chitose, we have to be truly realistic here. You cannot protect me, anymore than I can protect myself and I will not endanger you. The Blue Clan has already put the Sanctuary Treaty into action. I can get shelter from them,"_

_Chitose looked annoyed. "Hn...those Blue guys..." _

_Maria giggled, the noise like a tinkling bell, making him get her attention again. "I know of the rivalry between your clans, but this is serious, isn't it?"_

_He nodded solemnly. "So you'll be going to them soon?"_

"_Yes, they will give me protection in a safe location. I'll be going tonight..and when this is all over..." her voice trailed off._

_Chitose smiled warmly. "When this is all over, we'll make it work between us," he finished off for her. _

_She smiled back._

_As they rose to leave, he gave her a hug. It was wonderful to be enveloped in his strong warm arms. Chitose was neither a skinny man, nor an overly muscular one. His body was sturdy and very firm. She knew every ridge of his muscle, every ripple of a vein. She knew the texture of his soft brown hair, and she was a witness to the warmth in his eyes. _

_Chitose kissed her nose lightly, the little bit of affection he knew always made her blush. He smirked arrogantly when she did, and realized just how much he had missed seeing her do so. He let his forehead touch hers as they remained in each others embrace for a short while._

"_Be safe, Maria,"_

"_I will be,"_

_He slid a hand into her hair and then moved it slowly down her back. She felt the tracking device placed on her, right at the back of her neck. She said nothing, and she decided not to remove. If their situations had been reversed, she might have done the same thing. _

_Maria lifted her face to his and his mouth covered hers. They shared a long, deep, sweet kiss. When they drew back, there were warm smiles on their faces._

* * *

Maria opened her eyes when she was jolted awake. It was dark wherever she was, and realized it had to be a vehicle due to the rough movements. Her arms were bound behind her back. There was a gag on her mouth and she was cold...and so weak...it was if her body was drained of its power. She could barely move...

* * *

_Her eyes opened to a soft patting on her head. Drowsily, she looked up to see Totsuka's smiling face looking upon her. She had been leaning against his slim body, sleeping soundly. _

"_The king certainly takes care of you," he commented, indicating to the warm object wrapped around her. She saw that it was Mikoto's familiar jacket that was tucked securely around her. She caught a whiff of tobacco on it and her cheeks reddened slightly. _

"_You fell asleep in the bar and Izumo was so caught up with polishing his new set of glass that he neglected to at least cover you with something to block out the cold," Totsuka explained, all the while giving her his warm kind smile. "Good thing the king and I came in at the right time, otherwise you would have probably caught a cold."_

_Anna sat up and held Mikoto's jacket around her still. She did have the vague memory of falling asleep, waiting for Mikoto and Totsuka to come home and then being shifted against something warm while something else that held a familiar scent and feel was wrapped around her. She could hear harsh whispers like, 'Izumo, you're an idiot!', 'I didn't mean to!' and 'Shh! She'll wake up!' around her. But she had become so encased in the warm feel of whatever and whoever was surrounding her, that she had slept on peacefully. _

_Totsuka looked at her with slightly worried smile. "But what would you do, Anna, if one day you had to be separated from Mikoto?"_

_It was a thought she did not want to consider at all and her expressions which Totsuka knew how to read quite well, despite how blank they might look, indicated exactly that. He patted her head again. "Sorry if I upset you,"_

Anna opened her eyes to a new day and found herself hugging a large pillow with a thick blanket wrapped around her. They were poor substitutes for Totsuka and Mikoto. The heat of inanimate objects could never really compare to the heat of real, living human beings. Especially the red king and his vassal.

She thought miserably to herself that she had become spoiled for Totsuka's smile, and Mikoto's body heat. She had never considered being without either, even when she had predicted Totsuka might die.

And now she was without both.

* * *

Mikoto was conversing with the Blue King and they were making plans to get a hold of Maria and capture those members of Rise. He saw Seri standing nearby the two. Her cheeks were reddened when she looked at her king.

Mikoto turned away after finishing their discussion, and walked over to Izumo. "She gets along well with him," he mentioned to his right hand man.

Izumo shrugged as he pulled out a cigarette. "He's her king,"

"Don't you think that there might be something between them?" Mikoto asked, giving his friend a frown.

"If there is, there is and I'm happy for her and perhaps it would be better for both us that way: our loyalty comes first. She will always be loyal to her king, and I will always be loyal to you,"

Mikoto accepted that for he knew that Izumo felt no resentment toward him in anyway. He was simply accepting of his circumstances and would go along with it because as he said, first and foremost, his loyalty came to his king. Nothing else took precedence.

Even romance.

And he would have no regrets.

* * *

_A/N: The last bit with Seri and Izumo is an indication of where they stand. If the manga gives some indication of romance between them, I will probably include more of it. This is a response to **Indochine**(you're awesome, and your reviews are awesome), and anyone else curious about romance between Seri and Izumo in this story. _

_What do you guys think about Maria? I think she was a cool character in the manga. Kinda crazy, but nice. _

_I know everyone looks out for Mikoto/Anna fluff so I still tried to add in a little even with them separated._

_What did you guys think of the chapter? Let me know. _

_Thanks again for all the reviews, favorites and follows. You guys always encourage me to keep on writing. God bless :)_

_P.S. Of course Anna's mother is not a cougar, Mikoto was just being a sour faced meany :P _


	15. Safety

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving. I also apologize for the grammatical errors I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 15: Safety

Reisi and Mikoto could move faster than anyone else as they were kings.

"Try not to go past your Weismann limit again," Reisi warned Mikoto.

"Don't nag," Mikoto retorted as they hurried down the highway, after the vehicle with Maria. They were faster than any vehicle on their own two feet.

Reisi felt himself get irritated by Mikoto. The man was lazy, grumpy and ill-tempered. Yet, Reisi could not dislike him. Hell, he even respected the Red King more than the Gold King. Of course he would never admit that to anyone. He could barely admit it to himself.

They quickened their speed in order to catch up in time with the truck.

* * *

The truck jolted to a stop. Maria felt herself lurch forward and fall flat on her face. There was some talking outside.

Maria remembered that the night before, she had been on her way to Scepter 4's headquarters when someone fired a gun at her. With her agility, she had gotten out of the way in time, however, in front of her someone in a strange white suit came at her. She could barely dodge the punch he aimed at her.

She saw a strange device on their arms and realized that they were members from the Rise.

_"You won't get me," she warned._

_"We'll see about that," the man told her. The one who had shot at her lunged at her from the back. Maria tried to scratch a tree using her nails in order to cut in half and use against them, but to her shock, nothing happened. She recalled that the members of Rise were rumored to have the ability to somehow block a strain's power._

_They tried attacking her from all sides and Maria could barely get out of the way and dodge their blows. She had to try to make it to Scepter 4, but before she could try to get there, one of the men aimed a blow at her head, effectively knocking her out._

* * *

Maria recalled awakening in a room where she had strange wires attached to her, and then suddenly groaning when she felt as though her energy was being sucked from her, almost as if it was her very life-force. It was truly unpleasant.

She shivered at that memory.

Suddenly, the doors to the back of the truck flung open and Maria had a better look at the people who had attacked her. They were two men, one much taller than the other. Both had light brown hair and eyes, ironically reminding her of Chitose.

However, their eyes were cruel. Their expressions cold. They did not have the warmth and kindness of the man from Homra who she loved so much.

"Looks like she's stronger than the others. I didn't expect her to be awake already," the taller one said.

"Well, all the better for us. We can drain her again,"

The shorter one entered the truck.

Thirsty...she was so thirsty.

Yet, she forced herself to speak through parched lips, "W-What are you d-doing...?"

"Simply 'borrowing' your power," the short one answered as he proceeded to grab her arm and pull her to her feet. He half dragged her out as she was so weak she could barely walk.

"Stop..." she mumbled.

The tall one grabbed her and hauled her over his shoulder.

"She's pretty hot. Maybe the boss might let us do her after," the shorter one was snickering. A feeling of dread came of Maria.

Not that, she thought fearfully, please not _that_. Chitose came to her, the memory of his strong arms around her, his light touches and gentle kisses. Lying on a bed that was soft and cuddled against the hard body of her loved one had been bliss.

* * *

_A calm morning it was. Chitose was sitting upright on the bed, his two legs widespread. Maria was sitting between them, leaning onto his well-sculpted chest. Her head was tucked under his chin. She caught the familiar scent of cigarette ash when Chitose lit one. Warm, so warm and so safe she felt at that time._

_"You know you have a job later," Chitose reminded her gently._

_"I know...I just want to remain with you a little longer like this," she murmured and looked up at him. He gave her a warm smile and she rewarded him with a light kiss to his unshaved chin._

_When she drew back, he asked, "Is that all?"_

_"Oh, you want more?" she questioned innocently._

_He nodded, smirking. She rose up onto her knees and kissed his cheek. Chitose gave her a frown when she moved back. _

_"You'll have to show me what you want, Chitose-kun," she murmured seductively as she kissed his other cheek._

_He caught hold of the back of her head, tangling her rick, thick black hair with his hand that was free of the cigarette. He pulled her forcefully to him and covered her giggling mouth with his own to get a deep, hot wet kiss._

_"That's what I wanted," he told her and lovingly rubbed his nose against hers, making her blush prettily._

* * *

These men wanted to use her and were planning to sully her and ruin those beautiful memories.

She was so weak, she could barely even cry. _Chitose...Chitose..._

She was dropped heavily onto a metal slab. It was only when her coat was torn from her that she realized that she was naked. She became frightened when they began to place electrodes all over her body, just like last time.

She recalled being drugged, then stripped.

"Don't...don't..." she softly begged: '_When this is all over...'_

The men ignored her. Her vision was blurring, she could barely see anything.

_'...we'll make it work between us.' _

'Chitose,' she thought miserably. She wanted so badly to be with him.

All she knew next was that the men were cursing. There were screams and shouts.

Then something was thrown over her, covering her nudity and familiar arms were around her. "I'm here Maria. Oh God...I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner...I'm so sorry, sweetheart..."

Maria looked up at the face of the one she wanted to see most.

"Chitose," she whispered. Two tears slid down her cheeks. She smiled before blacking out, thanking God silently for being able to see him again.

* * *

"Thank God they got there in time," Kamamoto commented as Maria was loaded into an ambulance. They watched sympathetically as Chitose looked on worriedly, then hurried into the ambulance to go with her to the hospital.

Yata was standing with him, along with the King and Izumo, observing the scene.

Munakata approached, along with Andy Domyoji. Seri and Saruhiko were around but chose to remain far from the Red Clan. Seri was obviously trying to avoid Izumo and Saruhiko was advised to stay away because he and Yata would have arguments that could cause the Red and Blue Clans to clash over something terribly insignificant during a serious investigation.

"The strain will be alright," Reisi informed them.

* * *

Munakata and Mikoto had broken down the door to see Maria Yubikiri strapped to a table with electrodes all over her body. The room had been filled with computers. On a table near to where Maria had lain, devices just like the ones worn by the men who attacked Anna and Izumo lay. It seemed that the electrodes were connected to the devices which also had other wires hooking them up to the computers.

There was a lever switch that the taller man was about to pull. However, at the sight of the two powerful kings, the men had frozen in shock.

Chitose and several other members of both the Red and Blue clans came in almost immediately behind the kings.

The men also seemed to have cyanide tooths for they looked like they were going to clench their teeth together.

However, recalling what Anna's stalker had done had made the two Kings grab them in time. Chitose, meanwhile, had hurried over to Maria and had become distraught at the sight of her. He immediately ripped the electrodes from her and covered her with his plaid shirt so that he remained in a white vest.

"You a dentist, Munakata?" Mikoto asked Reisi.

"No, unfortunately," Reisi replied. Both men had the members of Rise arms held behind their backs while a hand was on their jaws, keeping them open.

Mikoto smiled sadistically. "Then I guess we better pull out each tooth one by one. Do have a set of pliers?"

"No, but I can easily get one," Munakata told him with a smirk.

Both men looked fearful. There was a difference to the men in terms of dying, and living not only without a set of teeth, but also with the painful agony of having them pried out. It would be excruciating to feel one's teeth being yanked out from deep within one's gums with a set of pliers that pulled and pulled until ripped out from the nerve endings.

"B-Back t-tooth!" the taller man stammered out as best as he could with his jaw held open.

The members of the Blue Clan went ahead to remove the fake teeth containing the cyanide pills. Once done, Mikoto released his captive and let him fall to the ground. Reisi did the same.

"They're not so great now without their equipment," Yata commented.

The shorter one glowered at him. "If I had it, I would kick your ass!"

Suddenly, a foot smashed into his face.

"Withdraw yourself!" Reisi snapped at Chitose who was standing over the man. Chitose looked at him with a glare.

"You're not my King, and I don't take orders from you!"

He proceeded to deal a hard blow to the other one who screamed in pain. Everyone looked on as Chitose beat the hell out of the two men.

"I guess I can't rely on you to tell them to stop," Reisi commented to Mikoto who was lazily smoking a cigarette.

Mikoto shrugged. "If you were in his position, what would you do?"

It was times like these Reisi's sense of justice wavered. How could he say to a man whose girlfriend had been kidnapped and manhandled, almost killed by two men, 'Let the law handle it. We'll take them to court'?

He sighed. "We do need the men alive for questioning,"

"When the ambulance arrives, I will tell him to stop,"

* * *

Chitose's clothes had been stained with red blood. Izumo was grateful that they had gotten Anna away in time. He could tell that the scene they had come upon in that room with Maria had triggered a great deal of anger in Mikoto, and also a great deal of relief.

Anger because that could have been Anna naked and half dead on the table.

Relief because they had gotten the child away in time.

"You could have allowed Anna to be protected under the Treaty, Suoh. Under Article 12, no strain should be persuaded or coerced into joining the Blue Clan while under their protection if the strain already belongs to another clan. It was one of the provisions finalized by the King just two weeks ago," Reisi said to Mikoto as they both stood outside, observing the stars in the night sky. The Gold King had agreed with the other Kings to make additional provisions to the treaty because many strains had been reluctant to join because they did not trust Scepter 4, especially those who already belonged to other clans.

"She would have gone to your school, gotten protection from your men and would have been overseen directly by people who have worked with strains before," Mikoto stated.

"Precisely,"

Mikoto gave glanced at him. "You would have locked her up in that school and done research on her for your own means. She would have a bird in a cage under the guise of protection,"

Reisi frowned at Mikoto. "Didn't you do something similar by you sending her away? If she had been granted our protection, you would have still been able to see her because the school is still very close to your bar."

Mikoto smirked at him. "I gave her the freedom you couldn't give her," Yes, Anna was given more freedom by going off to Seneca, and Mikoto knew that she was given a lot more protection there. Also, no matter what Munakata said, the Treaty was still created in such a way that it granted favor to the Blue Clan in terms of the caring of the strains because it was one of the job requirements of Scepter 4. It may be an effort on the part of the unity of the clans to protect them, but the main role of their care was on Scepter 4 and Mikoto did not trust them at all with Anna.

He would _only_ entrust her to his own people and the best place had been Seneca because the security was mainly well-trained members of the Red Clan, and many of the teachers there were also of the Red Clan. She would be safe, and more free than if she had taken the protection of the Blue Clan based on the Treaty.

Reisi, meanwhile, figured that Mikoto would say no more on that matter.

"Munakata," Mikoto said suddenly.

"What?"

"These men are powerless against kings and are nothing without their devices,"

"Seemingly so,"

"Yet they can easily grab strains,"

"Yeah,"

"It's strange,"

"Where is this going, Suoh?"

Mikoto looked him straight in the eye, "What if these guys we caught up with so far are really a bunch of small fish being used to test our power, but the real deal something bigger, stronger and much more powerful?"

* * *

Seneca was really a village in the mountains. A very cold village. The Middle Schools and High Schools were located on a higher plateau than the rest of the village. It seemed that the Middle Schools were side by side with each other and the High School was further up the mountain, but along the same road that the Middle Schools went to. The schools were enclosed by high voltage fences and there were guards all around.

High Gates served as the only entry ways into the schools and there were cameras and lookout points at every corner. It was indeed a high security area. It had to be expected since very elite people attended the schools: children of royal blood, politicians and celebrities.

This was what impressed Anna about the school: the security, not who attended and she understood why Mikoto chose this school for her.

It also allowed her the freedom to walk around with wherever she wanted to go without having some kind of guard or escort because there were guards around anyway. She recognized a lot of them, for many had come to see Mikoto personally to become members of the Red Clan. They recognized her too and would give her kind smiles.

Earlier that morning, Anna had had bland cereal and milk with Natsume and her husband. Their son had already gone to the High School to sort out the rosters and class schedules for the incoming semester. There had been other things to eat, but Anna had not had any appetite.

"Anna-chan, if you would like to explore the grounds on your own, it would be alright," Natsume had told her kindly.

Anna had been surprised. "I can?"

The older woman nodded. "Yes, there are enough guards and security cameras around for you to go around on your own. Here," She handed Anna a mobile phone-a touchscreen that was very similar to Izumo's.

Anna accepted it. "Is it alright for me to have this?" she questioned.

Natsume nodded. "Of course it is. It was actually a gift from Izumo,"

A well hope entered Anna. "Would I be able to call him and the others?"

Natsume looked sad then. "Anna, I'm sorry, but no,"

The little girl was visibly upset. "But why not?"

Natsume stooped and gathered the child to her, hugging her. "Anna-chan, there was a raid last night and Maria Yubikiri was captured. They found her in the early hours of this morning and a lot of investigation is still ongoing. These guys aren't fooling around, Anna-chan. Mikoto made sure to have his guys check their systems to see if they were being hacked in anyway. It seems that they have been trying, but they are failing. To keep you safe, there can be no contact with them and you cannot go back home on weekends,"

Anna began to tremble. She was angry, but she knew the woman who had taken her in was not to blame. She simply hugged her back tightly wishing so badly that she could _hit_ Mikoto for being so overprotective.

But deep down, she knew that he would never truly remove her from his side, unless he was really alarmed.

"What happened to Maria?" Anna asked Natsume as she drew back.

"They found her, but she was drained of her power. As we suspected, the devices that the men from Rise are using actually sucks the power from the strain. We have reason to suspect that draining the power from the strains are what killed them. A lot of research suggests that the power of a strain is its very life-force. To take that away and in exceeding amounts could kill them,"

"But did Maria live?" Anna asked.

Natsume smiled. "Yes, she is alive. She was naked and bound to a table. Anna-chan, Maria told Chitose that those men wanted to abuse her in a sexual way after they stole her power, but she was rescued in time. Do you know what that would have done to Mikoto, had it been you there instead?"

Anna knew. She could almost see it unfolding before her: his Sword of Damocles, crackling and becoming more and corrupted. His rage brewing and nothing and no one to stop him. It would mean a repeat of the Kagetsu Crater, or it would be required that he be killed on the spot by another King-just like the last time.

Anna could not bear that.

It made it easier for her to accept her situation now.

"How did you get all this information, Natsume-san?" Anna asked her. She was curious because how could Natsume know anything if using electronics such as mobile phones was prohibited?

"They sent me a personal messenger who is of the Red Clan,"

"Is it possible that the Rise know that I am here already? Couldn't they have spies around?"

"So far, there has been no indication that anyone outside the Red Clan knows your whereabouts, and those who know are only the guys who come to Homra-your main gang. Even if there is a messenger being sent here, the Rise would not have reason to suspect that you are with me. In fact, it would be easier to assume that you went to the school Reisi Munakata had advised because it is the facility that is giving shelter to the strains based on the Sanctuary Treaty,"

"Won't they try to break into the place where the strains are being kept?" Anna asked.

"The Gold King has taken up residence at that facility and these guys are afraid of kings. They should be alright..for now. They will be getting a more securitized facility soon."

Anna nodded.

"You know, Anna, even if they knew you were here, it would be near impossible to break in and not have a full blown fight on their hands. There are so many members of the Red Clan working in this school and Mikoto's power allows him to move at extraordinary speed and he would reach in time to safeguard you. Don't you think?"

Anna felt comforted by that thought. "Yeah,"

"Now you go on ahead and explore the grounds. The guards all know you and if you need anything, my contact is in that phone so you can call me, or my husband or my son but you absolutely cannot contact anyone outside of the school-grounds, especially the members of Homra,"

"I understand. Thank you,"

* * *

So here was Anna, dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt with flower designs on it, walking around the area. From what she could observe, it seemed that only the classes for the students were separated based on gender.

Not the clubs. The schools were huge, of course, but they both had entrances that led to another huge area where it seemed all the clubs were being held.

As Natsume had stated, the clubs were quite active during the summer for when she approached aikido building, someone was thrown out the door. Anna jumped back in time to get away from being hit by the man who flew out the entrance of the dojo.

"You've got pretty quick reflexes!" A tall burly man said to her, laughing. He had black hair and a thick moustache. He was probably well into his thirties.

Anna recognized him. He was another member of her clan. She saw a light of recognition in his eyes, but he did not acknowledge her as the princess of Homra, perhaps because there were other students to the back, observing the scene.

"Are you interested in joining us?"

Anna nodded.

"Well come right in!"

"But sensei, isn't she a bit...small?" someone piped up.

"Don't judge a person's size. You might be shocked at what this girl can accomplish,"

"I would just like to sit in today," Anna informed him.

"That's no problem. This week is demonstrations week so you can have a look at all our different moves whenever you come in and decide if you would like to become a member,"

Anna nodded. Everyone watched as the very out-of-place princess-like girl knelt beside a huge, rowdy looking man without batting a lash and calmly observed the aikido demonstrations.

She stayed about an hour, watching all the different moves in the dojo before asking to be directed to the kickboxing club. They seemed to be right next door.

When she entered, it turned out to be more of a gym than a dojo as the aikido club had been. The room was concrete and filled with all sorts of workout equipments. There was also a series of punching bags, and a large space where people were sparring. Some were on the machines, some were punching bags.

"Oh, we have a youngster with us today," an older man said.

Everyone turned around. There was a mixture of both males and females, all of varying ages, but Anna was clearly the shortest and 'girliest' looking one there. She noted that the man who spoke to her was also a member of Homra. He was wearing on a white tank with blue sweats. She could see on his shoulder, barely peeking out, the black tattoo of flames, indicating membership to the Red Clan.

He would obviously know who she was and it seemed that he had an idea of that she knew some kickboxing for he asked, "Have you ever done kickboxing before?"

She nodded. "My older brothers taught me,"

The man nodded.

"Would you like to try some moves with us?"

"She won't have enough mobility with her jeans," one of the people pointed out.

"Well, she can punch at the bag. How does that sound?"

Anna nodded. Everyone was surprised at the fluidity of her moves, and even though she did not make the bag move much, for someone of her stature, it was a shock to them that she could make it move at all with her beating of the bag.

Anna explored all the martial arts areas that day. Somehow, her wandering led her to an old building further away from the building where all the clubs were.

It seemed to be broken down wooden house with a very old car, seemingly out of service, sitting out front with several other car parts around. There was also a huge stack of tires to one side, next to a tree.

It seemed to be a rundown mechanic's garage. Anna cautiously approached it, and suddenly heard banging. She peeked from behind the car to see someone inside the garage itself, knocking something into what looked like a Harley-Davidson motorbike.

The person stopped and stood up. It was a tall, oldish man with a big beard and longish hair. He had on old overalls that were stained with oil and a matching hat.

He glanced in her direction and she stiffened in shock.

"You should know not to fear me, Homra's princess,"

She knew, for she could sense nothing bad from him so she slowly approached. He was another member of the Red Clan. She had come across more people who were a part of the Red Clan today than anyone who was not.

"I saw you when I went to the King to become a member two years ago. Do you remember me?"

Anna titled her head to the side. "Yes...you were the man who wanted to protect his daughter,"

The man nodded. "Yes, some debt collectors came to me and demanded that I pay what I owed with an exorbitant interest. I could not pay it, so they kidnapped her until I could, so I went to your king. You were there, just a cute little mite, sitting in his room playing with your red marbles,"

Anna recalled that when his eyes had fallen upon her, she felt a huge wave of sadness wash over him for he recalled his daughter when she had been Anna's age.

"How is Mikoto-san?" the man questioned.

"He is well. Your daughter?"

The man smiled. "You know he himself came when I went to rescue my daughter? He beat up everyone and helped me get her back. She's safe now, just turned twenty two, married, and about to have her first child,"

Anna nodded, glad to hear that the woman was alright.

"I'm Aoi Daichi," he informed her. "I'm the chief mechanic around here."

Anna looked around the room. It was larger than how it looked from the outside and there were two cars in a corner, their hoods open with tools scattered around.

It seemed that the man was more interested in the bike he was fixing.

Anna walked over to it and glimpsed at and saw that the sides were open to reveal the engine.

"Dirty engine oil," she commented.

Aoi looked at her. "How do you know that?"

"Some of the clansmen have motorbikes too, just like this one. One of them had a similar problem. I was there when he was fixing it," she answered.

Aoi frowned. "You have a good eye. It really is dirty engine oil. I have to remove the oil gauge and do some servicing to the bike,"

Anna nodded.

"Have you had anything to eat, little lady? I have some bread and cheese sandwiches if you like,"

Anna nodded again and joined the man for a meal. He had her sit at his worktable which was piled with more tools, but had enough space for her to have a plate set before.

Aoi had washed his hands and cleaned off any oil before placing a sandwich on the plate. He sat before her and asked, "So tell me, have you ever ridden on a motorcycle before?"

"_It's kind of dangerous to be taking a seven year old on a motocycle, Kamamoto," Izumo was telling Kamamoto doubtfully. Anna was looking up at Izumo hopefully with Kamamoto, skinny once more, at her side. _

"_It'll be okay. I've taken my little nephew out for rides and he's been alright," Kamamoto was assuring Izumo. _

_Totsuka was sitting at the bar. "It may not be a bad idea. Kamamoto is much more of a mother-hen than you are,"_

_Izumo glared at Totsuka. "Don't insult me,"_

"_It hurts my sense of pride to be compared to a chicken..." Kamamoto commented uneasily. _

_Totsuka merely laughed light-heartedly. "Let her go, Izumo. Look at how she's looking at you,"_

_Izumo looked at the child and wished he hadn't._

_She was looking at him with her best watery puppy eyes. "Not that, Anna," he said uneasily. _

"_She'll be fine. Let's go, Anna," Kamamoto said, taking her hand. _

"_Wait, Yata will follow after you on his skateboard,"_

_Yata, who had been gobbling some food at the bar paused. "Wha-?!" Some of the rice from his mouth fell out at his exclamation._

"_You will go after them,"_

"_You're being a real old fud, Izumo-san. Anna will be safe with Kamamoto," Yata said and went back to wolfing down his food. _

_Suddenly, Yata was lifted by his shirt front by Izumo. "Who's an old fud?" Izumo demanded with a menacing smile._

_Yata looked nervous. "Er...not Izumo-san!"_

_Izumo smiled easily and set him down on his feet. He patted his head nicely. "Good. Now do as I say,"_

_Yata grumbled something about leaving his food behind. _

_Anna felt bad. "We can go another time," she told Kamamoto quietly. Yata, overhearing, immediately felt ashamed. _

"_No, no it's alright Anna. I'll come with you. Don't know if the fatty in Winter-time can properly care for you," Yata told her. _

_Kamamoto grinned. "At least I can still charm ladies no matter what the weather is, or what my size is. You, on the other hand, are too nervous to do anything,"_

_Yata glowered at him._

_Anna was placed in front of Kamamoto on the bike. He sat behind her and had her prop her hands on the handles. Her skirt rode up a little, but not enough to look indecent for her dress was still long and she was still a child. _

_Kamamoto fit a black helmet on her, although he neglected one for himself. _

"_You know, Kamamoto, you're setting a bad example of safety," Yata commented, observing the scene. _

"_Well, Mr. Professional Skateboarder, why aren't **you** wearing a helmet, or arm or leg guards,?" Kamamoto retorted._

_Yata flushed angrily, realizing that he could not say anything to that._

_Kamamoto's arms came around hers, guarding around her. He looked at with a warm smile. "Ready, Anna?"_

_She nodded._

_Kamamoto started up the bike, he revved it up and suddenly, they took off down the street. Yata followed behind, keeping an eye on them as instructed by Izumo, in case something happened to Anna. _

_Anna had liked being on the bike, enjoying the rev of the engine and the feel of the air moving around her, as opposed to being in a car. _

_She recalled closing her eyes for a moment. The next time she opened them, it was because the motorcycle had stopped and her helmet was being lifted from her. _

"_This is the first time anyone has ever slept away on my bike," Kamamoto commented._

"_She must be taking up the King's habits," Anna heard Totsuka's words as she was lifted from the bike. She was set on her feet. _

_Her eyes were a bit itchy so she rubbed them. Her vision became more clear and she noted a familiar beautiful red, sitting outside the bar, smoking a cigarette. _

_It seemed that Mikoto was there._

"_As you can see, Anna's back home safely," Totsuka commented to the king as he took hold of Anna's hand. _

_She paused close to his chair and looked at him, admiring his lovely red. _

_Mikoto seemed to be observing her, perhaps to ensure for himself that she was alright. "Go to bed," he instructed her after a moment._

_She nodded and allowed Totsuka to lead her there. _

"Did you go on more bike rides after that?" Aoi asked her.

She nodded. Fujishima had gotten a motorcycle as well and he would take her out occasionally with it. Izumo had become more comfortable with it over time, and seemingly Mikoto. However, he would usually be outside smoking, waiting for them to come although he claimed that he really just wanted some fresh air.

Anna bid Aoi goodbye a short time later, and decided that she would visit again soon. She had been surprised that she had managed to eat most of her sandwich for her appetite had been so small before. She figured that it had to be because the things she recalled during her little meal with him had been happy memories, making it somehow easier for her to stomach her food.

* * *

Chitose sat at Maria's side in the hospital. He held her hand and observed her beautiful face that was marred with bruises. There was rage in him for what had been done to the woman he loved, and what had almost been done to her.

Mikoto stood at his side, hands in the pockets of his jacket.

"I used to love a girl once and I would have done anything to protect her, and she broke up with me. I thought I could never feel that way for anyone ever again. But then Maria showed up. What I feel for her, is more than I've ever felt for any other woman. I wanted to kill those two men today," Chitose told his king.

"You almost did," Mikoto told him.

Chitose shook his head. "I had never thought that I could become so enraged that I could tear a man to pieces with my bare hands. I was so angry, and I'm still so angry that I want to beat them all over again, but keep them alive so that I could do it again, and again. Death feels too good for these bastards."

Mikoto glanced at Chitose. He understood how he felt. For a moment, he had pictured it as Anna on that table, and for a moment, his rage almost consumed him. Yet somehow, somehow, he managed to control himself.

The young King turned around to head home. He needed a nap. Tomorrow he would have work cut out for him, going through reports about what they had discovered so far on the Rise and their experiments, based on the incident today, and the area it had happened in.

The miserable thing for Mikoto was that he would be napping all by himself...no little Anna sleeping beside him anymore...

* * *

_A/N: Lack of Anna/Mikoto fluff, I'm so sorry but I hope you enjoyed the chapter otherwise._

_Hope you guys liked the parts with Maria and Chitose._

_What did you think about this chapter? Let me know :)_

_I've read that Kamamoto is fat in the Winter and skinny in the Summer. I guess he packs on weight in Autumn and starts loosing in Spring._

_***Just some additional info: A Treaty is a legally binding agreement made largely between and among countries. In the case of this story, it is between Clans. The Treaty constantly being mentioned for the strains is one which gives them protection from Scepter 4 because they have the facilities to care for them (therefore, if they give a strain protection, they have the control to monitor and research on them as they like and the school that the Blue clan wanted Anna to go to, as mentioned before, does do research on the strains while claiming that they are just training them to use their power to their full potential). However, other Clans are required to offer help to any strain, no matter what clan they belong to (if they belong to any at all), being mistreated or threatened in anyway, such as in the situation with the Rise. Mikoto does not trust Scepter 4, much less any other clan with his Anna. _

_I will provide more information on it probably in the next chapter if it seems to be necessary. _

_Thanks again so much for the reviews. They were truly appreciated and they really do encourage me to keep writing. And for all who follow and favorite this story, thanks so much. I love you guys._

_Happy New Year, everyone and may God bless you and keep you safe. My plan for the New Year is to once more indulge in a healthy lifestyle._

_Whooo...I'm tired. I kept checking and rechecking this chapter. I'm not completely satisfied with it, but I hope you guys are (despite the lack of Anna/Mikoto fluffiness)_

_***P.S. I don't think I will post up the other story until this one is done. I have some good ideas for it, and I have a feeling that I might focus on that one instead of this one. Hope I didn't disappoint anyone too much, I just want you guys to really enjoy what I write and I think putting off other stories for now would make it easier for me to make a better effort with this one. I really apologize. _


	16. Exams and Omurice

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving. I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 16: Exams and Omurice

Natsume had been gone for the entire day and Anna knew that she had returned to the city to handle some issues with the ongoing investigation. What pained her was that Natsume was going to see everyone, converse with Mikoto...while she was stuck in the cold mountains.

It had been a week and a half since she had been staying in Seneca with Natsume's family. She had spent much of the week before attending all the club areas to observe their activities. She had found herself in the ballet club quite frequently. It was perhaps one of the few clubs that was not headed by a member of the Red Clan.

The instructor, a tall, elegant woman perhaps in her early thirties had taken an immediate liking to the child who entered her dance studio.

"Such beauty! You are definitely going to be one of my students!" she said and had had Anna fitted for a tutu right away.

"You've done ballet before?" she had asked Anna as she combed the child's hair into a ponytail after the fitting.

"When I was five," Anna replied.

"Well, let's get you back on track!"

Ballet was one of the few things Anna enjoyed there. At the moment, there were very few students in the club, but the teacher, Aya-sensei had informed her that when the semester started, there would be lots more. The current students seemed to be students who had already graduated from the High School, but just wanted a place to practice before heading down a more professional road with the ballet dancing.

Another club headed by a non-Red Clan leader was the chess club. There were roughly twenty members when she had first entered the room with them, but she had been welcomed enthusiatically because it seemed that it was the first someone like Anna had ever come to them. She had seen Saruhiko play chess with some of the members in Homra when he had still been a part of the clan but she had never taken an active interest in it.

It seemed that she had a knack for it but found herself bored with it by the third day. She figured that out of all the clubs she would join, this one would be the one which she would attend the least.

Anna visited Aoi everyday. She would have a tiny breakfast with Natsume and her family, then wander around into the clubs, sometimes taking part in them, other times just observing, then she would go over to Aoi and listen to him ramble about his family as he fixed his motorcycles and neglected his cars. He would give her a sandwich to eat everyday, which she would normally finish, before heading to other club meetings again.

Finally, she would arrive at Natsume's again where she would have a light meal and then head upstairs to bed where she would just lay down and reflect on the life she had had with the members of Homra.

* * *

The second week had constituted studying for the exam although she more or less neglected her books. She did not like to study. In fact, if she read a book once, she would probably remember everything in it.

She did the scholarship exam within the Girls' School itself. It had been her first time inside of it. It was like any other Middle School, it was just easy to tell that the furnishings, furniture and equipment was more luxurious than other schools.

There had been ten other children in the exam room with her when she had entered. All of who looked so nervous that they barely paid any attention to her, or anyone else for that matter.

She took her seat when instructed and finished the exam in a half an hour before getting up and leaving.

* * *

That evening, Haru met her at the dinner table. "Anna-chan, Yuki told me that she needs you to come see her in her office at the school. Finish your meal and I will take you there,"

Anna nodded and completely her meal of beef soup and crackers. Then, the grandpa like man took her to the school to meet his wife, her current caretaker.

Natsume was sitting in a very luxurious office with deep carpets, leather sofas in the sitting room, a huge well polished mahogany desk that had an expensive laptop on it. She was leaning back in her armchair when Anna and Haru entered.

Natsume glanced up from the paper she was looking at when she saw Anna. "Have a seat, Anna-chan," she told her.

Anna nodded and sat before her in another armchair that seemed so soft that she could sink into it.

Natsume lowered the paper, leaned forward and looked at her. "Anna-chan, I need to ask you something,"

Anna nodded.

"Did you, in any way, cheat in this exam?"

"No," Anna replied, surprised.

Natsume nodded. "I believe you, but I am still required to ask. You see, I was informed that you finished this exam, which an hour long, in half the required time. It is not a long exam, but it is a difficult one. One of the most difficult exams, in fact. Anna, you scored 98 in an exam where no one gets beyond 85. It's remarkable,"

Anna was surprised. "But it was not hard. It was common sense," she pointed out.

Natsume nodded. "That's why a lot of people fail: they have no common sense. Anna-chan, I want you to do another exam. If you do well in this one, you can skip a grade and finish Middle School in two years time rather than three,"

Anna's eyebrows rose. "Really?"

"Yes,"

Maybe then she could go back to Homra sooner, she realized. "I will do it then,"

"Excellent. It's alright if you don't do well, but you need to understand that because you will be skipping a grade, this exam will be more academic with a range of topics. That exam is scheduled for tomorrow. Do you think you can handle it?"

"Yes," she replied.

* * *

She had aced that exam too. Or so she had been told by Ryosuke when he had come home. Ryosuke was moody. Sometimes he would gaze upon her as if she was the cutest thing in the world while other times he was be cold and keep away from her.

Anna realized that he wasn't as nice when his parents praised her. It seemed he had a bit of jealousy in him still. But she understood because she sensed that he did not like himself for feeling this way toward her and that he was really trying to be good toward her.

Now, Anna was sitting at the dinnertable with Haru-san and Ryosuke. Natsume had returned about two hours before, but she had been tired and had not spoken to anyone. Then, abruptly, she decided that she wanted to make omurice for everyone.

Anna did not mind. She liked omurice.

"You know...she isn't the best cook," Ryosuke commented with a miserable look on his face.

"Now son, don't be like that. You know she'll give it her best shot,"

"But dad, the last time I ate anything she made, my stomach pained me for a _week_,"

"Ryosuke, Yuki will not make anything that could potentially hurt Anna-chan. You _know_ that,"

Ryosuke glanced at her, sighed and nodded although he believed that his father should have said that Yuki would not make something that had the _intention_ of harming Anna, rather than the potential.

Natsume entered a short time later with a large serving tray with three plates of omurice. "I made this especially for Anna-chan!" Natsume exclaimed and set down the food before them.

It looked like omurice.

It smelled like omurice.

It just needed some ketchup. So, Anna accepted the ketchup bottle handed to her. She squeezed ketchup onto the food, enjoying the sight of red in her usually gray world.

Haru took it from her next, then Ryosuke who asked his mother, "Why aren't you eating any?"

"I had a light snack while cooking. I'm not hungry yet,"

Ryosuke looked at his food and then at her. "Are you trying to poison us and save yourself?"

"Ryosuke!" both his parents snapped.

Both were about to scold him, but Anna's soft, "Itadakimasu," interrupted them. They looked at her. She looked very adorable wearing on a pink shirt with white dots on it that had frilly edges as she picked up her little spoon to eat. Like a life-sized dolly.

Ryosuke covered his mouth. "So cute," he whispered, looking at her the way a person would watch a puppy.

Anna picked up her spoon and began to dig in, not really bothering with the people looking at her. Seeing as she showed no form of disgust or anything as such, everyone assumed that the food was okay.

Ryosuke and Haru took huge bites into their mouths while Natsume looked on.

Both made identical choking sounds.

"You crazy mother! You're trying to kill me!" Ryosuke cried out after spitting out his food.

"How dare you, Ryosuke?! I put so much effort into this meal, can't you be grateful? And look at how well Anna is enjoying it!" Natsume shouted, pointing at Anna.

Haru, to her side was wiping his mouth with a napkin. "To be fair, Yuki my love, you can't tell if she is or isn't,"

The three adults watched as the child dug into her food, blank of any expression.

"So shameless, trying to poison your only son and kill a little one," Ryosuke commented.

"It isn't that bad!" Natsume snapped.

"Then you taste it!"

"Fine! I will!"

She did. She grabbed his spoon and dug into her son's plate of food.

And made a painful sound. Her pretty face went green and she spat out her food too. "This...isn't...fit for a dog," Natsume groaned. Then she looked at Anna who was still eating it. "Anna-chan, why are you still eating it?"

Anna merely looked at her and said, "Because you made it for me,"

Natsume looked genuinely touched at the child's honesty.

"Anna my dear, it isn't worth killing yourself for," Ryosuke told her and took her plate away from her. Normally, Natsume would quarrel with her son but her food could probably give someone gastroenteritis.

Anna was starting to look a bit nauseous. "Haru, go get some antacids from the medicine cabinets," Natsume instructed her husband.

"How does a woman who can tell the entire health of a person _not_ know how to make an edible meal?" Haru asked his mother.

Natsume, patting Anna's back as she seemed to grow sicker by the moment, answered, "I don't know, son,"

"Seriously mom, you can't even make salads!"

"I can too!" she snapped.

"You chop the vegetables horribly and you suck so bad at even making the salad that you _ruin it with store-bought dressing_! How is that even possible?!"

Natsume glowered at her son. "Would you shut-up? I get it already,"

"I'm just wondering what you were thinking mom. How do you think Mikoto-san would feel right now? He sent her away to be protected but you're endangering her with your food,"

"Ryosuke, you're being irritating," Haru scolded his son as he returned with the antacids. Ryosuke noted his mom's expression of sadness and realized that he had hurt her feelings. He stood up and patted her back. "I'm sorry mom,"

"It's alright...here, have one," She gave him a chewable pill after having Anna consume one.

Anna felt as though everything she had eaten that day was stuck in her throat. She was chilly and shaky. However, upon taking the antacid, she started to feel better.

"Izumo gave me his recipe for omurice. He said you loved it when I saw him earlier today," Natsume told her as she picked Anna up. Anna looked at her. Natsume smiled. "I'll tell you all about today. Your guys also sent something for you,"

Anna's eyes lit up, she felt giddy with excitement, happy all of a sudden.

"I'll get Haru to contact our chef for him to come in and cook and you can eat in your room while I tell you all about today. There is something information that I need to share with you,"

* * *

When Natsume had entered Homra, nearly all of its members, except for Yo Chitose was there already either at the bar's counter, on the couch, or in a booth. Everyone was quiet, seemingly sad.

"Missing your little sweetheart already?" Natsume asked upon entering.

Everyone perked up. "Did Anna come with you?" Kamamoto asked from a barstool.

She shook her head.

Everyone became downcast.

"How is she?" Mikoto asked from the couch. He looked the same, but Natsume could sense that he was stressed and unhappy. Tired even. She knew that one of the reasons was that Anna was away from him.

"She's alright. She's safe and she's already joined some martial arts clubs. She also aced the scholarship exam and the second exam she did yesterday,"

Mikoto looked up and Izumo asked from behind the bar before he did, "What do you mean by 'second exam'?"

"I advised her to take an exam that would allow her to skip a grade. She aced it, you guys. When the semester starts, she will be in grade 8 as opposed to grade 7 and she will graduate to High School in two years' time,"

"Hey, that's great," Shohei commented from a booth. There were murmurs of agreement.

"How is her appetite?" Mikoto asked.

"It's alright. Not the best and I do believe that she should eat more, but I think once she adjusts more to Seneca, she will eat better,"

Mikoto nodded.

* * *

"Anna, the two men who were captured also died," Natsume informed her.

"The two men who attacked Maria?"

"Yes. And the men who attacked you,"

Anna was surprised. "When did this happen?"

"They all died in their sleep. The ones who attacked you had been healing in the hospital from their injuries until they could be questioned. When Scepter 4 attempted to question them, they blacked out. The same thing happened to the men who attacked Maria and they blacked out the following day. It turns out that they slipped into some strange comas and eventually went brain dead,"

Anna's eyes widened in shock.

"How...?"

"We're looking at their blood. We discovered so far that the strange compound found in their blood has certain ions in them. These are all negative ions and are similar to the ions found in the energy that a strain uses with its power. Negative ions repel negative ions but attract positive ions. It seems that because the power of all strains have negative ions, the compounds repel the power of the strains, such as you and I, thereby 'blocking' our power from them. It is rare-these compounds-and I have never seen anything like it. It seems that wherever they sourced it from, they utilized it and injected it into their bloodstream where it combined with their DNA, giving them the ability to almost naturally block out the power of the strain,"

"But how were they able to get the power of the strain if their own bodies were rejecting it?"

"That's where their devices come in. The devices are basically an artificial carrier of the power of the strain. It takes the power of the strain and converts it to useable energy that is stored in the device itself. The device creates an invisible field around the person that allows it to work in such a way that it somehow converts the negative ions to positive ones, but only from the power of the strain that is stored in the device, not from anywhere else so that the compounds do not block the power that they are using,"

Anna did not know much about chemistry, but she had read books in her free time on it so she had a bit of understanding about what Natsume was saying.

It was scary to think that someone was genius enough to do such a thing.

"But you haven't explained how the men died,"

"We're still looking into that. Anna-chan, I know you're probably upset that I didn't take you to see Mikoto and the others today, but you need to understand that things are really terrible out there right now, _especially_ if you are a strain,"

"What do you mean?" Anna asked.

Natsume, sitting beside Anna on her bed, got up and walked to the window of the child's room. She looked outside with a worried expression on her face.

"The Sanctuary Treaty gives protection to all strains regardless of anything, even if the strain had a criminal record,"

Anna nodded. "It was a bit extreme, but the people of Rise have a lot of power and we cannot allow them to continuously get their hands on the power of the strains. So, for the strains who are criminals and would usually be captured by Scepter 4, they were given shelter by them and temporary immunity,"

"Okay,"

"Unfortunately, some had been offered large sums of money to discover the safehouses where some of the strains were staying. The Rise gave them this in order to discover the strains and they basically raided the safehouses to take these strains and their power,"

Anna could not keep her mouth from falling open in shock.

"Did they get away with them?"

"Thankfully, the Blue King and the Gold King made it in time. Now, measures have become stricter for admission of a strain to Scepter 4 for sanctuary. There are strains out there basically selling other strains to the Rise, and the Rise is so good at hiding up itself that it actually has any of its members who has been captured self-destruct, if they do not self-destruct, then somehow they are terminated,"

Anna looked down worriedly. She was a strain so she pitied other strains as well, knowing the difficulties that they probably had from childhood, especially since considering her own. To know that they were being like this, selling out each other money, made her _sick_.

"What measures are being taken now?"

"All strains are being searched for now. Sanctuary is still optional and a strain does not have to take it, but is strongly advised to do so. If a strain has a criminal record, then he or she is sent to a separate facility and scanned to see if any devices are on them that could allow them to be traced by the Rise. The strains who are found are questioned, warned and then allowed to make a decision on what they want to do,"

"Is it working?"

"It's only been a few days, but it seems to be going along. They're really trying, Anna-chan to protect the strains but the Rise are like parasites who refuse to be killed. So little is known about them and so little can be traced yet so much is happening,"

Anna nodded reluctantly.

Natsume continued, "I wish I could offer them the sanctuary of this school, but if too many strains were here and the Rise found out, there would be serious trouble and because these schools house the very elite, those who support the very economy of Japan, it would be very bad to take such risks. If anything were to happen to the children here, then the elite of Japan could very easily destroy the country by influencing their power. It wouldn't just be strains affected then, it would be everyone because we would all be driven to poverty,"

"It's a no-win situation," Anna commented. A country did not necessarily need a war or a famine to drive it ruin: no, if the people with power chose to do so, then they could manipulate the economy through its businesses and politicians, not just on a local level, but on an international scale as well and cause the economy to erode and leave everyone in shambles.

Natsume looked at her and nodded. "Unfortunately. We took you in because you are Homra's princess, but to allow anyone else in would be dangerous,"

The door knocked and Natsume got up and opened it. "Ah, thank you Haru,"

Natsume turned back her attention to Anna with a broad smile on her face. "Here is properly made omurice. But before you eat, perhaps you would like to see this from your guys,"

* * *

"I wish we could see Anna," Kamamoto commented sadly to Natsume after she related all that she had been informed of by Scepter 4.

"Me too," others agreed.

"You could send her a note to cheer her up," Natsume told them.

"That's a good idea!" Yata exclaimed.

Izumo pulled out a piece of paper. It passed around with a pen to everyone who wrote what they wanted to her.

Finally it arrived at Mikoto.

"You gave to write her something. She would feel happy by your words," Izumo told him.

Mikoto scribbled something quickly, then folded the paper and handed it to Natsume.

* * *

_'Heard you did well in your exams, Anna! Congrats! I will give Natsume-san a recipe for omurice for you because I know how much you love it. Love, Izumo'_

_'Anna, my appetite has increased so much since you've been gone! I've already put on three pounds! I miss you so much!-Kamamoto'_

_'Kamamoto's just making excuses because Chitose is with Maria all the time now: no one's around for him to compete for to get women so all the fun has gone out of his life. We miss you Anna, and hope to see you soon, Dewa'_

_'Anna, I found a cute white kitty with gray eyes yesterday. Izumo was going to tell me not to bring another stray into the bar, but when he saw the kitty, he thought it reminded him of you so he let it stay. You would have loved him. Stay safe. We miss you-Fujishima'_

_'You were always a smart person, Anna and I am not surprised to hear that you did well on tests. Soon a couple of us will have to head out for college in September. Unfortunately, I will be out of Shizume City but I do hope that when I come back, I get to see you. Missing you lots, Eric. _

_P.S The Chihuahua stole your Pucca DVDs and he wanted to destroy your Hamtaro collection'_

_'Anna! That's a lie! I did not steal them! Izumo let me have access to them. I wanted to destroy your Hamtaro collection but I didn't! I swear I didn't touch them although I hate those ugly little rats...Anna...Pucca's no fun without you...-Yata'_

_'Anna, we miss you so much. Whenever we see Mikoto-san, we half expect that you're right beside him but you're not. It's saddening but I do hope you are enjoying Seneca. Fight hard and beat up all the guys!-Bando'_

_'Anna, you are a beautiful flower and you shouldn't try to become manly like the rest of us. Remain womanly and pretty!-Shouhei'_

_'Anna! Ignore that idiot! You can still be pretty and fight like a man...!'_

Anna could see everyone's interactions as they wrote the note, passing it from one to another, some watching over the other's shoulder as they wrote, or fighting for the paper like with Bando and Shouhei. Everyone had a lovely message to say and Anna could feel how much they each truly missed her. She understood that Chitose had not been around for the message because he was with Maria. She accepted that and she was just glad that the woman he loved was safe.

Finally, Anna saw Mikoto's words to her. A simple, _'Anna, eat'_

Most of the guys had untidy handwriting, especially Yata. Izumo's handwriting was very neat, well rounded and legible. Mikoto's to her surprise, was neat as well. They were large letters, but well put together and understandable and those two words meant the world to her.

She accepted the omurice that Natsume handed to her and proceeded to eat as was instructed to her on the paper.

"You can understand now why you cannot leave?" Natsume asked her.

Anna nodded as she ate her food at a good pace.

* * *

_She dreamt of a morning just like a particular one not too long ago where both she and Mikoto had been awake in his room. It was a cool morning and the soothing morning light had filtered in. Both had been aware already of each other's alertness to the waking world but said nothing as they lay side by side, never touching, just lying there. They shared the same pillow and were mere inches from each other._

"_I miss you," she whispered to him. _

"_You're safe," he stated and opened his eyes. _

_She lifted her eyes looked up at his familiar handsome face. In this dream, there was full color so she could make out the tones of his skin, the true red of his hair, and to her delight, the real gold of his eyes. _

"_I want to come home," she told him._

"_I know," he said ever calmly. His eyes were on her, revealing none of his emotions while hers which usually did not show any, were full of them. _

"_Then let me come home," she pleaded. _

_He sighed and reached out, touching her silky hair. "I can't. You know that. Natsume explained. Her family is yours now,"_

_Anna sidled closer to him and curled up against his chest, revelling in the familiar warmth and hardness of his lithe body. _

"_When I open my eyes, you won't be here. **You're** my family,"_

_Mikoto grunted in agreement as his hand went back to stroking her hair. "I would rather have you alive and away from me, than dead, Anna,"_

_She knew that, and she knew she had to be away for his sake. She repeated it to herself everyday._

"_I know," she said miserably. "I know."_

* * *

Mikoto opened his eyes from the dream and half expected Anna to still be beside him, but there was no warm little body curled against him, there was no soft hair for his fingers to touch. He sighed wearily. That dream nearly outdid him. He was very close to going to her in Seneca, but the situation with the Rise and the strains was too horrible right now.

There was absolutely no was he was removing her from her safe place to bring her back into danger, especially after all the things he had witnessed over the last couple of days: violence among strains and their willingness to turn in each other for the sake of money. It was truly disgusting to see such a lapse in morality. Then the Rise themselves were so good at covering up their tracks. Even the room where they had found Maria in had not had much of any kind of information. It had just been a temporary room to set up the equipment to take Maria's power.

The only useful thing they had gotten thus far had been the devices themselves.

Mikoto sighed. He really did miss the presence of his Anna.

* * *

Pillows truly weren't substitutes for Mikoto, for before Anna even opened her eyes, she knew by its softness that it was not him. Yet, she could almost feel a lingering warmth around her, one that reminiscent of Mikoto Suoh.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks for reading, hope you really enjoyed this chapter._

_**I can't remember Chemistry too well. I just remember hating it so if anyone has a chemistry exam on positive and negative ions, make sure you study the stuff from your text books cuz your textbook should have facts while what I have written here is fiction._

_Thanks so much again for all the reviews, follows and favorites. As always, I appreciate them and they motivate me to keep writing._

_For those of you who want to see Shiro, Neko and Kuroh, I will tell you now that I did originally plan to introduce them in the story but I want to let you know that it **may** **not** be right away. It may come as a surprise to you :) I hope you enjoy the other chapters until they come into the scene. _

_Thanks again, I love you all._

_God bless._

_P.S. What did you think of this chapter? Let me know. _


	17. Onigiri

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 17: Onigiri

There were good points about having a bunch of strains grouped together: it brought a number of very gifted people together. Such gifted people included those with extraordinarily high IQs.

Geniuses.

Like the current team of strains who had been selected from among those seeking Sanctuary under the treaty. They had gladly offered their help, especially when they saw how dire the situation had become. They were the ones who had discovered the uses of the devices, how they worked and how the blood compounds helped the men of Rise block the power of the strains.

These people were in an isolated room, some working furiously behind computers, some with checkboards which they wrote stuff onto as they overlooked tables where the devices had been placed. Others were scurrying around from the devices to the computers as they keenly observed something that they found to be interesting.

Munakata and Mikoto observed them from behind a glass wall.

"It takes a genius to create this equipment and more than likely it's another strain. An extraordinary one," Munakata told Mikoto.

"Or a group of people," Mikoto pointed out.

"Perhaps so, but look at the circumstances of the case, Suoh: people were killed, yet none of the equipment was harmed. Why?"

Mikoto shrugged and glanced at the Blue King. "Maybe there was just no way to properly have the device self-destruct without affecting its proper usage,"

"Possibly, but my theory is that there is one specific guy behind this. A narcissist. An egotist. The lives of humans are worth less to him than his precious devices,"

"He took a big chance having it fall into our hands then. Unless he meant for it to fall into their possession,"

Reisi placed a hand on the glass and observed the equipment on the table. "I don't think so, Suoh...every enemy has a weakness, you know that. This person has done all he can to hide up his whereabouts so that he cannot be traced. He even assigned men to capture and use his inventions to their liking, more than likely for research reasons to satisfy his egotistical, genius mind. Suoh, I think he believes that he can get back these devices. He may try to attack us,"

"You were saying something about a weakness," Mikoto reminded him.

Reisi looked at him and nodded. "His ego. That has to be his biggest weakness. He is too much of an egotist to be able to work with others that is why it cannot be a team. His ego will make him trip eventually. We can use it against him,"

Mikoto frowned as he returned his attention to the strains who were analyzing his devices. "That's a theory, Munakata,"

"It's all we have,"

Mikoto believed that Reisi was right in some way, but he felt that there was something more in this situation...something much darker.

"So you think he will come back for his precious devices?"

"Yeah,"

"Any idea when?"

Munakata shook his head.

"Why would he entrust his devices to those idiot men? Wouldn't his ego find them to worthless?"

Munakata shrugged. "They were worthless enough to kill. In his narcissistic mind, he sacrificed his devices to these men for a short period of time in order to get more information, more research with them using it because he is a perfectionist and he will come back for them,"

"Any leads on who he could possibly be?"

Munakata nodded. "We've had a look at all strains who fall into the genius category. We've looked over those who are alive, dead, reported here already or have been missing for some time. Those who have not come under Sanctuary, and or who are missing are currently being investigated,"

"I see,"

"These guys are currently trying to reverse the effects of the blood compounds so that they do not block the effects of the strain. The way the devices work themselves are actually giving an answer,"

"So what are you proposing we do, Munakata?"

Reisi adjusted his glasses. "We need bait, Suoh. Once our leads have been whittled down, we'll need some bait to catch him, hook, line and sinker,"

Mikoto knew Reisi was dependable.

However, right now, his mind was a bit elsewhere.

"School starts on September 1st which is tomorrow. How do you think that little one will make out?" Reisi asked Mikoto.

Mikoto said nothing. He merely ignored his fellow King.

* * *

"Is she a princess?"

"Where is that girl from?"

"Wow, she looks like a doll!"

Those were the whispers that came around Anna as she walked through the hallways of Seneca Girls Middle School. Anna was dressed in a short red pleated skirt with a checkered design. It came up to a little lower than her mid-thigh. Her shirt, much like most schools, both private and public, was a sailor design with red bands on the arms and a red sailor-styled collar. She wore a red ribbon of a darker shade that was tied into a large bow at her neck. On her, the school uniform fitted the way it would a mannequin.

Perfectly.

Shoes could be either black, brown, white or mixed with red and white. Anna opted for mixed red and white. Socks had to come to just under the knee and had to be white.

Hair that reached past the shoulders had to be tied so Anna had hers in a high ponytail with a red ribbon in it.

Pale skin, thick eyelashes, pretty eyes and a perfect doll like face was what caused all those whispers. Her expressionlessness gave her an icy kind of beauty and even among the children of the most elite, she stood out.

Natsume had given Anna a map of the school which she had memorized. She carried a black shoulder bag with her books. Now, she entered her homeroom where the teacher already was. It was a woman well into her forties with graying hair tied into a bun, thick lensed glasses and almost hawk-like appearance about her.

"Good day, Kushina-san," she greeted her.

Anna bowed in response.

The class had gone silent at her appearance. There seemed to be no more than twenty students in the class, all of course, were girls. In Anna's gray world, none of them stood out. Most people had a touch of red in them in Anna's vision. These girls had the palest red she had come across in recent years.

The teacher beckoned her. "Introduce yourself," she instructed her. Anna had already met with this teacher. She was simply known as 'Maya-sensei' and she taught Math.

Anna bowed and said, "I am Anna Kushina. I just moved back here from England to attend school. I will be in your care,"

"Are you related to the royal family?" some asked. It was a girl with straight brown hair that reached just past her neck. There was a red ribbon tied on the side of her head.

Anna shook her head and walked to a far column near to the window and took a seat. Anyone could tell that she did not wish to speak more. Yet, she was observed by all who were bewildered by the appearance of a tiny girl they had never seen before in an advanced class such as theirs.

"Alright everyone, let's begin," Maya-sensei said. The classroom consisted of a chalkboard and a screen could be pulled down from which a projector could shoot images from a computer. Each desk in the classroom was actually equipped with its own laptop which lay in an underneath compartment where students usually stored their books. Instead, a laptop was safely stored there and there was a compartment beneath the one for the laptop where books could be stored.

There were severe penalties for vandalism or theft of the computers and each one had its own tracking device which automatically sent a warning signal if the computer was removed from the classroom.

For this current class, the teacher started off with the math on the chalkboard, then had students use the computers to solve questions from a math program on the laptop.

Anna, of course, finished before everyone else as they had been alotted a specific amount of time to finish their work.

Suppressing a sigh, she looked outside the window she was sitting next to. Directly across from the Girls' School was the boys' school. She could see straight into their classrooms. The boys had on black uniforms. They were bent over computers in the classroom directly opposite from hers. It seemed that they might probably be doing the same work too.

She was about to turn away from the sight of the young teenagers when one particular boy sitting by the window directly across from her looked up and looked through his window, straight at her. The boy had very light brown hair with gold highlights. Even in Anna's colorless world, she could see that his hair was paler in some areas than others.

The boy noticed her looking and smiled very warmly. It was a smile she knew almost as well as her own face.

_'Tatara'_ she almost whispered but turned her head away quickly. No, Tatara was dead. She glanced across to the boy in the other building again. He had returned to his schoolwork. She narrowed her eyes slightly.

Who was this boy?

* * *

Anna got everything right on the program. She was praised by the teacher.

"To think this young girl who skipped a grade to get here is still more brilliant than the rest of you," Maya-sensei stated.

"What do you mean she skipped a grade?" one girl demanded.

"Kushina-san passed the exam that would qualify her to enter into grade 7 instead of 8. She's younger than the rest of you,"

Anna could sense what the other girls were feeling. Half were in awe.

The other half were jealous.

She did not really care.

She really just wanted to go back to Homra and be with Mikoto again.

And she wanted to find out about that boy from the other school who smiled like Totsuka.

* * *

Each class was fifty minutes long and they were given an hour of lunch. Anna was praised in each class because during each one, computers were used for the students to answer questions based on what they had learned in class. Not only did Anna finish before everyone else, but she did better than everyone else.

"She's a robot of some sort," a girl with yellow curly hair and blue eyes commented snidely as Anna walked past her during their lunch break.

Anna who had been walking at a slow place, stopped right in front of her and looked at the girl with her blank grey eyes. From what Anna picked up the classes, her name seemed to be Crystal-Belle, a half Japanese half European girl. She was as wealthy as she was bratty.

"Why are you looking at me?!" Crystal-Belle snapped at her.

Anna lifted a long slender arm and Crystal-Belle flinched back, thinking Anna would hit her. However, Anna merely reached out and lifted something from the girl's shoulder. She drew back her hand but showed Crystal-Belle what was in her hand.

"Lint," Anna said and flicked it away before turning away and walking off.

All the other girls who were looking on at scene watched after Anna in surprise. They hadn't expected that from that young person who showed no emotion who looked like a beautiful doll.

"She must be a princess!" several students decided.

Meanwhile, Anna continued on her way to the rooftop to have her lunch. She had wanted simple onigiri today-nothing fancy or foreign.

She had felt genuine pity for Crystal-Belle. Young people often projected their thoughts unwittingly to her because of how emotional they were at this stage in life and Anna had been given insight into Crystal-Belle when the girl had directed her jealousy toward her.

Crystal-Belle's mother was dead and her father had remarried. He had a new wife and his new wife also had a child of her own: a daughter as well who was two years younger than Crystal-Belle. The new wife disliked Crystal-Belle and she and her daughter found various ways to push Crystal-Belle away from her own father.

When the pretty golden haired girl complained to her father, he had slapped her. It was then she had decided to come to Japan, her father's homeland and go to school here. In her heart, she felt alone and neglected and Anna pitied the girl for that.

She was simply a sad and unhappy person who perhaps felt as though she had no real friends. In Anna's short lifetime, she had come to understand that not many were as blessed as her. She did not have parents, and her aunt had pushed her away very much in the same way that Crystal-Belle's father had, but she still had Homra. They were her family.

And she had Mikoto.

Her most precious person.

Some people like Crystal-Belle were surrounded by fake people with fake smiles.

Such people were very much alone.

* * *

Anna arrived to the top of the roof. It was empty and breezy so she sat down and opened her little lunch box that held three onigiri. She doubted she would make it past the second one and decided that she would save one for Aoi when she saw him later. She was given time for club activities, and she could easily hurry to his garage and give him one. She was sure that he would like it better than the cheese sandwiches he had everyday.

Anna had once asked Natsume why it was that he stayed somewhere so rundown in a school of luxury.

_"He chooses it that way. He is not a man who wants much of anything for himself. The only time he demands anything luxurious is when it comes to tools that he needs to do his job," Natsume had replied. "Of course that's when he decides to focus on cars and not those motorcycles."_

Anna slowly unwrapped her onigiri and stared at it. She had made it for herself that morning before school, much to the chef's dismay.

_"Anna-hime, won't you let me make it?" the chef asked. He was a stereotypical chef with the white apron, puffed hat, pointy nose and thin mustache. He also found her to be very princess like, thus adding 'hime' to her name whenever he spoke to her. _

_"No, I want to make it myself,"_

_"It pains my heart to see someone so delicate engaging in such harsh labor!" he told her half-sobbingly._

_Anna merely paused in pressing the rice between her hands to look at him. She blinked at him, then continued her work giving him the obvious impression that she knew that he was exaggerating. Chef sulked, but patted her on her head as he went to his own area in the kitchen to chop some vegetables for everyone else's lunch._

Anna now picked up one and bit into it. She recalled the last time she had made onigiri, just a week before leaving to come to Seneca.

* * *

"_Mikoto, could you show Anna how to properly mold the onigiri, please?" Izumo asked Mikoto. Mikoto was taking a bottle of cranberry juice from the refrigerator while Izumo was up to his elbows with dirty dishes. _

_Anna was standing on a chair at the kitchen counter. Even on the chair, she barely reached Mikoto's chest. _

_On the counter, there was some tuna in a bowl, seaweed wraps on a plate and some rice in a steamer. She looked at the one she made already. The rice had not properly stuck together and it was badly misformed anyway. _

"_Fine," Mikoto said when he glanced at her work. Anna waited for him to wash his hands. He returned and wet his hands lightly with some cool water she had in a nearby bowl. Then, he scooped some rice into his hands and proceeded to show her how to mold it. She observed what he did, then tried to repeat what he was doing._

_He shifted beside her, and suddenly he was behind her. Two strong arms came around her and her tiny hands were covered by two larger ones. Mikoto's warmth and scent were surrounding her and for a moment she felt as though they were back on his bed as they had been this morning, sleeping soundly on the same pillow. _

"_Press down like this," he told her and curved his hands over hers to shape them in the proper way to mold the onigiri. His hands were large and warm and she could feel a few scars on them. It was a stark contrast to her much paler, softer and smaller hands but it was a pleasant feeling to her to feel their rasp on her smooth skin. _

_He would keep one large hand under her much smaller one and then position her other hand properly over the rice, then he would press down over that hand and maneuver it to shape the onigiri. _

"_This one's done," Mikoto said and shook it from her hands into one of his. He seemed to hesitate so she looked up at him. _

"_What's wrong?" she asked him._

"_It's small," he answered. It was true, it looked very much like a dumpling in his hand. One of her hands still lay on his. "I suppose it's because your hands are small,"_

"_My hands are not small," she retorted quite primly. _

_As Mikoto moved away to place the properly made onigiri next to the much larger one he had made, he told her, "Your hands are small, Anna. You can see that for yourself,"_

"_My hands aren't small," she repeated. Then she turned back to the rice, ready to make another one on her own. "Your hands are just large."_

_Mikoto seemed to pause. Then, a hand came on her shoulder and a familiar nose nudged her temple and nuzzled the soft hair there. "Yes, they definitely are,"_

_She glanced to see Mikoto straighten up. She was surprised that he showed her affection in broad daylight with Izumo around. Not only that, his usually grumpy expression had softened, and he looked even contented. _

_Anna turned away, her cheeks slightly red as she started another onigiri._

_Izumo, meanwhile had listened to and observed their interaction from over his shoulder. He smiled warmly and suppressed a chuckle. _

Anna finished her first onigiri and did not feel like eating the second one. She recalled that Mikoto had made her eat one of the large onigiris he had made. She had finished it off only because he had made it for her, otherwise she probably would not have even eaten half.

She froze when she sensed that someone was there. It was coming from the left side. She immediately turned her head and to her surprise, there was a cute pale colored kitten approaching her. It sat in front of her. There was a red choker around its neck with a small silver bell that tinkled with every movement.

"_Nyaa_," it went pleasantly with its eyes partially closed. Then it opened them fully to reveal one blue eye and one green eye.

"Neko," Anna whispered.

* * *

_A/N: How did you like this chapter?_

_Neko's finally made an appearance! You'll see the others in good time:) _

_And her bell is silver instead of gold..._

_I had planned for her to appear in the following chapter, but I think she came in at good time with this one :P_

_**Thanks again for all the reviews, and thank you to all those who followed and favorited this story. You guys always encourage me and keep me motivated to keep writing.** _

_Let me know what you thought about this chapter._

_P.S. I may not update tomorrow, or might update very late. Might be busy. If I'm not, I'll update as I usually do. Letting you all know beforehand because I know how accustomed a lot of people are with me updating everyday. _

_God bless :)_


	18. Neko's story

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 18: Neko's Story

_**Approximately Six Weeks Ago**_

"Whoa! Yata's looking at porn!"

"It's not porn, dumbass!" Yata snarled at Kamamoto.

"Hey, no porn allowed at the counter!" Izumo yelled over his shoulder as he picked up a bottle of liquor from a high shelf.

"But it's not porn!" Yata insisted. He was sitting at the counter of the bar with a magazine wide open in front of him.

"But there's a pair of boobs in a see-through bra," Kamamoto pointed out.

"It's lingerie, _lingerie_!" Yata corrected him.

"Oooh...I wanna see!" came Chitose's voice and suddenly his head was pushing in between Yata's and Kamamoto's.

"Wait, why is Yata looking at a lingerie magazine?" Bando asked.

"Chihuahua must be interested in purchasing some," Eric replied.

"Go to hell! I just came across it in here!"

Chitose put his arm around Yata and gave him a slow easy smile. "I think you'd look sexy in that sheer black bra with matching panties. You just need a garter belt and some stockings,"

Chitose winked at Yata and pursed his lips as if going in for a kiss.

Yata's mouth dropped open in shock.

He shoved Chitose away. "You manwhore! Aren't you satisfied with all those women you're screwing with every night?!"

Chitose stalked closer to Yata and took his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "None of them compare to you, _Misaki-chan_,"

Yata let out a loud noise and shoved him away. "Get away from me you rapist! Mikoto-san! Help me!" Yata cried out and ran over to the couch where Mikoto was leaning back on, half-sleeping.

The others laughed.

Mikoto merely glanced at them, then closed his eyes again.

"But this lady is really pretty. She's got a nice rack too," Chitose commented as he picked up the magazine. He held it open for the others to see.

"Yata's probably depressed with his virginity so he's beating off to that kind of stuff now," Dewa commented.

"Die in hole!" Yata snarled and flipped him his middle finger. The others continued laughing.

"I guess this is like sexy porn for Yata," Bando commented. Yata rushed at him and grabbed him by the collar, about to shake him.

Suddenly, a soft female voice asked, "What's porn?"

Everyone in the room froze.

Mikoto opened his eyes at the sound of Anna's voice. She stood in the middle of the bar and was looking at everyone. Nearly all the guys were crowded at the bar, gathered around the magazine, except for Mikoto who was at the couch, and Yata and Bando as they stood a little more to the side as Yata was about to bully his comrade.

The magazine was still held open wide. Anna was a couple feet away with a clear vision of the long legged, beautiful woman who was modeling some very see-through lingerie. It seemed everyone had become stone-like.

No one knew what to say.

"Er...how long were you standing there?" Izumo asked Anna, uncomfortably.

She merely walked up to them and took the magazine calmly from Chitose.

"What did you mean by Yata 'beating off' to this?" she questioned as she observed the woman in the picture. That confirmed their suspicions that she had been standing there for _quite _a while.

Some of the members made choking sounds. Mikoto, meanwhile, lifted a hand and slapped it to his forehead.

She turned the magazine around and showed them the picture. "These are boobs, right?" She looked directly across at Mikoto. Mikoto actually seemed to pale a little for he was remembering that night he tried to have _that_ discussion with Anna.

"Eh...yes, they are!" Izumo admitted, very nervously.

Suddenly, the magazine was taken from her hands and a familiar strong hand was covering her eyes. "You shouldn't be looking at this kind of stuff," Mikoto told her.

Anna's small hands came over his and pushed his hand downward, away from her gray eyes. She looked up at him.

"But they don't have any female breasts, why can they look but I can't?" she pointed out logically, referring to the rest of the members of Homra.

Mikoto moved away from her and immediately lit a cigarette. He obviously did not know what to say.

"The guys who were fiddling around with that magazine should answer," he told her as he sat at the bar. He motioned for Izumo to serve him something strong. Everyone had trembled at his words. They had become rather _uneasy_ with the task appointed to them.

Chitose decided he should answer. He stooped near to her and said almost pleadingly, "You see, Anna, men like boobs because we don't have any and we like women to wear on that kind of stuff as..." Chitose's voice trailed off, then it seemed like some bright idea formed in his mind, "decorations! Yeah, it's like decorations!"

"What the hell kind of explanation is that?!" Yata yelled and let go of Bando. Everyone else was looking at Chitose exasperatedly.

"Then why were you trying to seduce Yata?" Anna asked Chitose.

Chitose was disturbed by the fact that Anna had seen him harassing Yata that way. "Well, I was just teasing him,"

"And what's a 'whore'?"

Everyone jumped when Mikoto set down his glass extra-hard on the counter. Everyone turned their attention to him as he stood up, the legs of the barstool scraping backward with his motion. He turned around, walked to Anna, and grabbed her by the waist. Then, he secured her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Mikoto!" she gasped.

"Be quiet," he told her as he shoved his free hand into the pocket of his jeans. He glanced back at the rest of them. "No more of that stuff here."

Everyone nodded in full agreement.

Mikoto took her upstairs to her room. He walked over to the bed and carefully lifted her by the waist off his shoulder and sat her down on the bed. He quickly removed her shoes and tossed them in a corner, then his hands pressed on her shoulders, forcing her to lie on her back. His arms curved around her head until his hands lay flat above her silvery white hair.

"Go to sleep," he instructed.

"But it's only 1 o' clock," Anna argued.

In reply, Mikoto lowered his head until she could feel his warm tobacco breath, and nuzzled at her hair above her ear, knowing it would make her sleepy.

She was surrounded by his complete warmth, his lithe body and that scent of tobacco combined with something mildly alcoholic. Her pale, little hands reached up and fisted into the cloth of his shirt at his chest.

She mumbled out in her sleep induced haze, "You're forcing me to sleep."

"Yes, sleep and forget what you heard," he murmured and moved to the other side of her head to pay attention there as well.

"Why?"

"Because there are some things we can't explain," he replied and moved to go back to trying to get her to sleep as his nose pressed into her hair again.

"Ah...it was about sex," Anna muttered as she became more sleepy.

Mikoto froze and lifted his head. He looked down at her and blinked. His withdrawal had made her become more awake again.

"I won't ask anymore," she stated and he knew that the reason why she said that was because she knew how uncomfortable and difficult it was for him to talk about that kind of stuff.

"Che...go to sleep, you brat," he stated and lowered his head to her hair once more, nudging at his favorite spot.

Anna's hands went to his hair. They pressed into its thick softness and attempted to stop him, despite how futile it seemed.

"But I said I wouldn't ask anymore," she reminded him.

"I want you to sleep," he told her.

Anna's hands slackened and wearily, she let them fall on either side of her head as Mikoto's gentle affection made her sleepier.

Abruptly, he stopped and suddenly, his body was fully covering hers, her head against the side of his neck while his own remained buried on the side of her head. She heard him let out a relaxed breath, indicating that _he_ had fallen asleep.

So here she was, pinned underneath a large, heavy body at 1 o'clock in the afternoon on a Summer's day. The bed was thankfully soft, and while under normal circumstances she would not mind her position, her favorite cartoons would be coming on in a few minutes.

She squirmed, but Mikoto did not move. Most of her body was trapped beneath his torso and the alcohol he had drunk had raised his body temperature. She was completely surrounded and encased by him and his pretty red.

The door suddenly opened and Izumo came in, seemingly curious in that he wanted to know what Mikoto was doing. He had a surprised look on his face at the sight of Anna on the middle of the bed, and Mikoto lying down on top of her, not moving.

"Eh...what happened?" he asked.

Anna glanced at her guardian with blank eyes. "Mikoto tried to get me to sleep, but he fell asleep instead,"

Izumo came closer until he was standing above the two. "Ah...that's because he had something strong to drink and didn't sober up. I suspect that he's tipsy,"

Anna said nothing.

"Aren't you uncomfortable?"

"I want to watch television," she informed him.

"Of course. Let's see if we can move this big lug," Izumo said and reached down to grasp the red haired man by his shoulder, to shift him from Anna.

However, in his sleep, Mikoto shoved off Izumo's hands and rolled to lie onto his side while taking Anna with him. He made a strangle grumbling noise from deep in his throat and held Anna closer as he proceeded to rub his cheek against hers.

Anna looked at Izumo helplessly.

Izumo gazed at them thoughtfully. "He looks like a lion hugging his favorite bone,"

Anna's eyebrows narrowed slightly, indicating that she was not pleased with the comparison.

"I don't think I could get you away from him without getting harmed in some way," Izumo continued. He had a bad feeling that if he tried to take Anna from him, Mikoto would lash out him like a possessive lion.

Anna sighed. He was right.

Mikoto really was hugging her like a favorite toy. She nodded to Izumo who left through the door while Mikoto's nose was in her hair again, making her sleepy once more. Her grey eyes reflected red before they closed because of the vision of his red aura that gently curled around her like harmless licks of fire, keeping her safe, warm and protected.

* * *

It was strange how the sight of a naked woman could make her recall all that. The naked woman before her was Neko who had changed into her human form. The only thing covering her breasts was her long pinkish hair and Anna had been shocked by the sight of her. 'Boobs' had been the first word that came to Anna's mind when Neko had approached her and changed her form, thus triggering off that old memory.

Thankfully, no other students seemed to be interested in coming up to the roof so none of them were in danger of catching sight of the naked woman.

Neko was currently munching on one of Anna's onigiris. The cat woman had a positively delightful expression on her face as she ate at her food.

Anna waited for her to speak. The cat woman finished it off and was licking a grain from her hand. "Anna misses her King," Neko stated when she gazed at her little friend.

Anna nodded slowly. Neko had a wistful look on her face, a look that was unbecoming of the usually cheerful kitty.

The two females shared a certain kind of kinship, not only because they were strains and had suffered at the hands of others for their power, but also because they had both thought that they had lost their most precious persons around the same time. In Anna's case, it had been Mikoto, in Neko's, it had been the Silver King.

"I miss my Shiro too," Neko informed her and sighed miserably.

"Why are you here, Neko?" Anna asked as Neko sat beside her, flat on her naked backside.

"The Himmelreich was attacked," Neko answered.

"The Himmelreich?"

Neko looked at her with heterochromic eyes. "It's Shiro's ship that he stayed in before the accident with the Colorless King. It crashed in December, but then he got it repaired so we used to stay there on it: me, Shiro and Kuroh,"

"He went back to his original body, didn't he?" Anna asked.

Neko nodded. "But he's still my Shiro," Neko looked a little downcast before continuing, "it's this stuff with those bad guys capturing us that made him get worried. So after the ship was attacked last week, Shiro let Neko here,"

"How did Natsume-san agree, and why was the Himmelreich attacked?" Anna asked.

"Something about how Shiro is the First King made her not be able to refuse him, but she did not mind. She's a nice lady and she told me that I could be a teacher and teach gymnastics to the other kids,"

"Where are you staying?"

Neko grinned. "Nowhere and everywhere. I liked running around in my animal form and the kids give me food. Yuki-chan told me to come to her house if I need a place to sleep. I wasn't planning to until I heard you were here as well, so maybe on a night or two I'll pop in and take a nap with you,"

Anna nodded. She didn't mind at all.

"Why was the Himmelreich attacked? The Rise came after you?"

"I'm not very sure. Shiro and Kuroh were saying that they might not have just wanted me, but they probably wanted the Himmelreich too. Something about how the ship can see very far,"

Anna realized that she probably meant that the technology on the Himmelreich allowed for one to see down to the very streets into every nook and cranny because its position in the air allowed a wide visual range and the cameras on board the ship were high tech enough to be that far reaching.

"Where is the Silver King and the Black Dog?" Anna asked.

"With the old gold guy. He asked Shiro to help them and he had been trying, but even the ship's computers weren't doing much. Kuroh said it was because they needed to get a picture of who they were tracking...I think the computers needed to see who the people were before it could find them,"

Anna figured that that meant that the computers on the Himmelreich would require a visual on how the members of Rise looked. This would allow it to get a recognition of the people from on the streets and in buildings and immediately identify them. From there, they could be tracked. However, without any idea of who or what to look for, it was near impossible for it to trace anyone if it didn't know what it was looking for.

"Those machines those guys had on their hands didn't work good as pictures," Neko informed her as she reached for Anna's last onigiri. "they resembled too many things."

Yes, considering how the the large metal cylinders looked, it was more than likely it tracked every cylindrical piece of metal in every scrap yard. If the Rise wanted the Himmelreich, then that meant that they had good pictures of the strains they wanted, including Anna herself. That wasn't surprising to her considering how they had stalked her.

Anna looked at her friend Neko again.

Neko was not happy. Anna could see that and she had a feeling that it had something to do with Adolf K. Weissman himself; Neko's Shiro.

"Where is the Himmelreich now?" Anna asked her.

"Stored away in some big base the old Gold King has. Shiro is with it," Neko answered as she paused in eating her onigiri. Then, she took a huge bite of it and displayed a sour expression.

"This does not please you?"

"Stupid Shiro loves his sister and does not love Neko,"

Anna's eyebrows rose slightly. "The Silver King has a sister?"

After taking another huge bite, Neko nodded. "He stares at her picture all day long. I'm only her replacement,"

"Replacement?"

Neko finished her onigiri. "I look like a her a little,"

"Oh,"

"And she's dead," Neko added bluntly.

Anna was not surprised. After all, the Silver King, despite his youthful appearance, was _very_ old. Either his sister died in some accident, or she died of old age.

"And instead of coming out with Kuroh and Neko, he prefers to watch her picture all day long," Neko folded her arms in a huff. Her cheeks were puffed up as she sulked.

"But he sent you here to keep you safe. You're not her replacement otherwise he would have wanted to you at his side,"

"Neko chose to come here and he never stopped me! Stupid Shiro never asked Neko to stay!" Neko answered angrily. She was clearly mad at Shiro.

"Maybe because he thought that that was what you wanted," Anna told her carefully.

Neko quieted for a moment. "Shiro is stupid then,"

Anna said nothing to that. The bell rang. It was time for her to head back to class. She would also stop by the kitchen in the school and make some onigiri before heading for her evening activities since Neko had eaten the rest.

"Anna, will you come to my gymnast classes?" Neko asked her.

"I would like to but I already adjusted my timetable to accommodate a lot of activities,"

"That's alright. I have classes on Sundays too if you're interested," the cat woman told her with a big smile.

Anna nodded politely. Perhaps she would. She had scheduled her club meetings based on the intensity of them. Martial arts were scheduled twice a week and on weekends and ballet was scheduled for three times a week. She also had a keen interest in archery but she was not sure about how she would incorporate it into an already hectic timetable.

She also had that curiosity about that boy who smiled like Tatara still. She had glanced across during classes to see if he would look across again, but he never did. His head was always bent over a book or his computer, or focused on the board so she hadn't gotten a good look at him since. Since club meetings were co-ed, perhaps she would come across him in one of them.

* * *

At least half of Homra's main members had to head out to school or college when September began. Eric was in Tokyo and would probably come back on weekends. Shohei and Bando were in their final year of High School while Fujishima was doing an online degree. Yata had managed to get into Shizume City college and it seemed that from his visits to the bar recently, he did not like it at all and wanted to withdraw and do his degree through online courses instead.

Chitose, Dewa and Kamamoto had finished college already and could therefore devote more of their time toward helping Mikoto and the rest of the clans to sort out the situation with the Rise. It really had become very messy and there was still very little information for them to go on.

Mikoto sat on a bench outside of the Gold King's headquarters. It was the main area where the worked in when they were not out in the field, conducting investigations. It was truly tiring work and Mikoto missed the lazy days when he could nap wherever and whenever he wanted. He was being compensated with a large financial package for his time from the Gold King, but Mikoto did not really care for it. He would probably just give it to Izumo to fix up his bar and do some shopping for them.

In truth, it ticked him off what was going on with the strains, especially after he himself had witnessed what had been done to Anna when she had been only about six or seven years old. It was wrong and there was that part of him that sought to protect, no matter who it was, that rose up and kept pushing him to keep working with the other clans to overcome this situation. Even more importantly, he wanted Anna to be safe because he knew how much these people wanted her.

He did not want to keep her caged in that school for the rest of her life because these bastards were after her.

And he wanted her to come back home. Sometimes, he really wished that he could go back to that afternoon six weeks ago when he had fallen asleep with Anna in her room and had awakened to find her cuddled against his chest as he hugged her the way a child would hug its favorite teddy bear.

"Suoh," came Munakata's voice, cutting into his thoughts.

Mikoto looked at the man who called his name. Munakata held out a tablet computer to Mikoto. Mikoto accepted it and saw the images of ten people on it, each with different sizes, skin shades, hair color and ages.

"You narrowed the possibilities down to these guys?" Mikoto asked as he touched the first image automatically bringing up his profile. It gave his age, date of birth, blood type and strain type in a column. More information was provided in summarized passages at the bottom which he scrolled through.

"Yes, we're already trying to track them down. We need to get going right away,"

Mikoto nodded and stood up. Time to get going indeed.

* * *

_He had had no nightmare. The reason for that was the child sleeping in his arms, the very being that reminded him that he was alive, and he was human. He was vulnerable if something happened to her, he could break if she was taken from him._

_As for the girl, the person whose arms she lay in served to remind her that she was not a doll. The red he exuded was a part of her as well when he had made his clansman: she was not a doll, she was not just a strain. In his eyes she was human, and to her, he was hers._

* * *

_A/N: Late update, am so sorry! I'm gonna have to apologize because I won't be able to update as regularly as I used to._

_The last bit of this story is an answer for Ihadyprilla and ellywhite_(thank you both for your reviews. You are both awesome, and I love you guys)_ and anyone else wanting to know about the romance in this story; I don't want to give away where this story is leading, but remember that this is a story about Anna's growing up and a part of growing up includes falling in love._

_Anna and Mikoto's relationship in this story runs deeper than that of big brother/ little sister or even father/daughter and is actually a bit different. They cling to each other like security blankets as a means of reminding each other that they are alive, and that they are people because without each other, they could be just vulnerable as the next person despite their powers. I hope the last bit in this chapter kind of reinforces that. _

_***Pornography should not be viewed by anyone underaged and I would advise those who are of legitimate age and already look at it, to monitor the content you view at their own discretion because it is something that can seriously pervert the heart and the mind. _

_What was Yata doing with that magazine anyway? It was lingerie..._

_I think that this chapter should answer the questions regarding Neko's presence in Seneca. I assume that she refers to herself more in the first person when she's upset._

_Also, for the guest reviewer who asked about whether or not Fushimi will make an appearance, he did in a previous chapter but I just kind of mentioned him. I had wanted to put him in a little more, but never got around to doing it._

_Thanks again so much to the rest of you who reviewed this story. Your kind words always act as an encouragement for me to keep on writing the story, especially during the times I just don't feel like updating. I love you all and I sincerely apologize if I stop updating everyday but other matters do end up taking precedence. As Bree Renee (I love you too) agreed, break is over :(_

_A special thank-you to Indochine__(you know I love you too)__ who indicated the tumblr I could go to in order to find out more information about Anna from K side: Red. For anyone interested, google 'marchen v friedhof'. This person's tumblr should be the first result and you can go through it and see the entries about K side: red. I actually don't have a tumblr myself..._

_Anyway, thanks so much to the rest of you who follow and favorite this story. _

_What did you think of this chapter? Let me know._

_P.S. Yes, I love everyone ;)_

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_These are all the people who have reviewed this story (hope I didn't forget anyone -_-) since I started writing it, some of who review with every chapter I post up. I always appreciate that and each every single one because each and every single review is an encouragement to me. So yes, I love you all (I felt that it wouldn't be fair to identify just a few of my reviewers). This includes the guest reviewer who had exams and was reading a chapter before it (hope it went well), and the other reviewers who have exams and still read this story (study hard and good luck), including TheRoseShadow21 (I'm sure you'll do awesome!)._

_And I do love everyone else who favorite and follow and simply just read the story, very very much._

_God bless :)_


	19. A Familiar Smile

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_***This chapter contains stuff from K Side Red and Episode 13 of the anime. _

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 19: A Familiar Smile

Anna could not find him. She had spent the last week looking out for him to see if he was in any of her clubs. He was in none of them and it seemed that he had changed his seats in the classroom because another boy was sitting in his seat.

She had wanted to use her marbles to see if she could locate him, but she would have needed a map of the school and she did not have one. She could ask Natsume, but she was certain that the older woman might be worried about her if she said that her reasoning for getting the map was 'to locate the person who looks like Tatara'. Natsume knew who Tatara was and she knew how close Anna had been to him. She would probably think that Anna was grieving too much.

Anna knew Natsume already had a lot to be worried about, not just as a principal, but also as a main consultant of the Gold King in the issue with the Rise. Anna did not want to add to the burden of the woman who had kindly taken her in.

Today was Sunday and it still morning. She had been ushered in to the large cathedral on the school grounds where students were required to gather for early morning worship. Anna was standing close to the front and was ignoring the whispers about her. It seemed that somehow or the other, everyone got a whiff of her club activities.

"I heard she's doing all kinds of martial arts! How tomboyish for a princess!"

"Maybe she's the princess of a mafia!"

Well, Anna thought when she heard that last line, they weren't that far from the truth. The Red Clan was made up of a bunch of ruffians but they would actually take down the mafia rather actually be one.

"But she's in my ballet class! You guys are wrong!" someone else stated.

"What? Well that suits her better!"

Anna was actually starting to get annoyed. Yet, she kept on her neutral face and ignored the girls around her.

Suddenly, the priest entered and started off with a song. They moved on to a prayer session and a lovely sermon. Anna had liked it. It was a quiet place, and she enjoyed the feel of being somewhere sacred and holy.

When it was over, she filtered out with the other girls.

"Hey, the guys from the boys' school are here too!" the girl in front of Anna exclaimed.

Anna looked peeked from behind her and saw that the girls were filtering from the pews that were on the right, while the boys were filtering from the left. That lit some hope in her that perhaps she would see the person.

She looked out for him as she moved out when a boy stood in front of her. She turned around slightly and searched the remaining rows but saw no one. Disappointed, she walked outside. Perhaps she could pull out a red marble and maybe her powers might reflect his image and give her an idea of his location.

The problem with doing that was to find the privacy to do so. She would not appreciate drawing more attention to herself, not just from the girls, but also from the boys as well for her actions.

As she left the cathedral, she noted that it seemed that the High School students had been there as well for she saw some older students hanging out in mixed groups.

Today was an extra cold day because it was Autumn already and as they were in the mountains, it was already extra cold. Everyone was dressed warmly in their best suits and dresses with coats and scarves on.

Anna wore on a red chiffon dress with a bow tied under the bodice. Underneath that she wore on a white long sleeved shirt and white stockings. She had on red shoes to match. Her hair was combed out and there was a red ribbon in her hair. Due to the weather, she wore on a beige jacket with a fur lined hood. She pulled it over her head to block the cold from her ears as she looked around.

The area outside the cathedral was more steep and rough than the other areas and one had to be careful around the rough parts. The grounds were cold as stone and the trees around were mainly fir trees.

"Hey, that girl's really pretty," a boy commented.

Anna glanced at him, then away because he was not the person she was looking for. She walked away from everyone and pulled out her red marble. No one could see what she was doing for her back was facing them.

She kept looking through her marble, hoping to pick up on something, but all she saw was the world in color.

Unwittingly, she moved further and further away from everyone as she began to move through the trees. Suddenly, she tripped on what felt like a branch and fell down with a soft cry. As she hit the ground, her marble flew out of her hand.

She felt the branch under her move a little, frightening her so she sat up, and there, lying on the ground, plain as day, was a youthful looking Totsuka Tatara!

"Tatara," she whispered as she moved to kneel beside him.

The boy was sitting up with an apologetic smile on her face.

"Eh...Tatara? Who's Tatara?" he asked.

* * *

Tatara's hair was lighter and it did not have blond highlights. His nose had been a bit longer and his face thinner. He had also been a bit more slender and handsome and though his smile was similar to this person's, Tatara's had been just a little wider and there had been no dimple at the corner of his mouth.

This person was a good looking young man, but he was rather pale. In fact, he was almost as pale as Anna and looked to be around thirteen. Totsuka had had a healthy golden glow to his skin.

Anna slowly crept away from the boy. He sat up and moved to kneel. He reached out a friendly hand.

"I'm Kei Junichi," he informed her.

Cautiously, Anna let him take her hand and help her to her feet. He was a couple inches taller than Anna as she reached him at his neck. Anna kept scrutinizing his features with her neutral face. It seemed to make the boy uncomfortable.

"Um...you haven't told me your name," he reminded her.

Anna was startled out of her observation and quickly told him, "I am Anna Kushina,"

"Oh, hello Anna. I remember you; I saw you that first day of school. You're the pretty girl who was sitting by the window. I was hoping to see you again, but the teacher made me switch places with a troublemaking boy,"

Anna nodded curtly, upset with herself for half-expecting this boy to be Totsuka when Totsuka himself was dead. Hadn't she seen the video of him being shot at? Hadn't she seen it Mikoto's dreams when she slept beside him sometimes?

She moved to pick up her marble that had fallen on the ground and rolled close to a log.

"Aren't you going to ask what I was doing out here?" the boy questioned, dumbfounded by her disregard of him.

Anna glanced back at him. "What were you doing out here?" she asked blankly.

The boy grinned. "Hiding from girls," he replied. It seemed that he was not accustomed to girls being ignorant of him as Anna was doing.

Anna turned away, not particularly interested. She did not like the cold up here and she had wandered quite far away from the cathedral and she did not want Natsume worrying about her.

"I didn't mean that _you_ were bothering me!" he exclaimed, grabbing her arm. He clearly thought that she was leaving because she believed that she was had disrupted his place of peace.

Anna looked at the small hand on her shoulder. She was not accustomed to small male hands touching her arms. The members of Homra were all older, either in their late teens or twenties and had larger hands. She was accustomed to them, not young boys like this one around her.

She shrugged away, not meaning to be cold toward him but she simply was not comfortable and she had to get back soon.

"Are you some sort of ice princess?" the boy asked. She sensed that he was upset that a girl was ignoring him like this.

He would never guess that she was actually considered the princess of the Red Clan, a clan that represented fire.

"I have to get back," she told him and moved to go.

"Oh...ok," the boy said disappointedly.

Anna glanced at him. "Aren't you in any clubs?" she asked.

The boy, delighted by her interest, shook his head. "No, I have a weak body so I can't participate in a lot of club activities,"

"I'm sorry to hear that," she stated.

The boy smiled. "I'm still trying, you know? I want to at least participate in something,"

Anna nodded. His smile reminded her so much of her Tatara that she could not help but still be intrigued by the boy. He was definitely a bit different personality-wise. Tatara had been lovingly humble and so kind. He loved to tease her and he had been the perfect big brother.

This guy seemed to be friendly in a similar way, but she could tell that his heart wasn't really like her Totsuka's. This boy was a little too vain and a little too naïve. She suspected that he was also more cautious than Totsuka.

Totsuka had been known for being too carefree, even in light of danger. That was perhaps what had ended his life in the first place. Hadn't he introduced himself to the enemy who pointed the gun directly at him and shot him despite his friendliness?

Anna often got angry at Totsuka when she recalled that. She had warned him, hadn't she? Hadn't she told him that if he was not careful, the longer he stayed by Mikoto's side, the more certain it was that he would die?

Stupid Tatara, she thought miserably.

"Hey, are you alright? You're staring off into space," the boy told her.

Anna glanced at him. She did not want to see that smile anymore. Too much like her Tatara. It was more than she could bear.

She hurried away quickly after telling him that she had to leave.

* * *

Anna only attended the gymnastics class to see how Neko was doing. She usually visited Anna during lunchtime so Anna always packed extra food for her. The usually chipper cat seemed to have a dark cloud above her head and had lost a lot of her old liveliness and most of the time chose to remain in her cat form.

Anna was concerned about her, so that was why she attended the gymnast meeting.

Upon entry, Anna saw that several students were already there. Many of them were girls, but she also noted that there were quite a number of boys there as well. They were all Middle School students.

The room they were in was large and the floor was covered in dark blue foam mats that would protect the students if they fell from getting any serious injuries. The room was quite tall. The building they were in was at least two stories high, but it was not divided into any floors, therefore making the entire thing hollow. This would give the students enough space to perform their acrobatics.

There were a few balance beam sets to the back and some vaulting equipment to its left at a futher distance away. Other equipment included parallel bars, uneven bars, spotting blocks and gymnast rings.

Anna's attention turned from the equipment to the front of the room where there was a small stage. Upon it, she saw Neko there, dressed in a bright pink tank top with white edging and matching shorts. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail behind her.

She was doing a calisthenic performance with a ribbon wand.

Her movements were graceful, perfect. The girls seemed to be enjoying the performance while the guys were particularly entranced by her. Anna could not blame them; Neko was quite beautiful. Anna kept more to the back of everyone as she observed the scene. However, someone poked her.

She glanced around, and to her annoyance, smiling just like her beloved Totsuka, was Kei Junichi.

"Anna-san!" he exclaimed.

They were surrounded by both boys and girls and Anna felt envy spike in the other girls, and curiosity from the boys when they saw her being approached by him.

Anna merely made a slight nod of acknowledgement, hoping that he would leave her alone. He didn't. Smilingly, he stated, "I didn't think that you would be here too! I'm so glad!"

"I thought you had a very weak body," Anna reminded him of his words.

He chuckled. "I said I would still try to do something,"

Unable to resist the smile that looked so much like her beloved Totsuka's, Anna gave in and decided to speak to him instead of giving him the cold shoulder. "Gymnastics might be a bit stressful,"

"I know, but I'd still like to try," he told her.

Suddenly, the crowd began to part as everyone gasped in surprised. Anna returned her attention to the stage, only to find that Neko had disappeared from it and was doing cartwheels through the crowd who parted away from her.

She came upright to her feet before Anna and grabbed the younger girl into a hug. "Anna! You made it!" she exclaimed happily. Anna reached her right around her boobs area so she found herself squashed against them as the cat girl rubbed her cheek happily against the child's hair. Anna could almost hear her purr.

"Neko is so happy!" she exclaimed.

The people around them began to whisper, "Do they know each other?"

"Maybe they're related,"

"No way! They're too opposite!"

"But their hair is a little similar!"

Neko drew back, genuinely glad. She was holding Anna's hands in her own.

"I might not be able to come every week because it's clashing with the archery club," Anna told her softly.

Neko merely grinned. "It's alright! You're here for my first class, so I'm joyful!"

"Neko-sensei. We need to do more demonstrations," an older teacher called out to her from the side of the stage.

Neko glanced over her shoulder, nodded, then turned back to Anna. She gave her a hard hug before moving to do other demonstrations on different equipment. Anna could tell that she was a bit more cheerful now that she had something to do to distract her from her sadness, but deep down, the cat woman was miserable still.

Crystal-Belle, standing nearby with two friends, folded her arms angrily. "Teacher's pet," she hissed at Anna.

Anna simply glanced at her, then looked away expressionlessly. Her disregard of the her insults seemed to tick her off even more.

"You've made an enemy, have you?" Kei said to her.

Anna merely shrugged. Crystal-Belle approached them. "Kei-kun, why are you hanging around this emotionless brat for? Don't you think you'd have more fun with me?"

Kei have a soft laugh. "Actually, I prefer her to you,"

Crystal-Belle gasped in shock and her friends to her sides covered their mouths to smother their giggles at her embarrassment. However, Crystal-Belle heard them and walked away with her nose in the air.

Kei turned to Anna. "I guess that serves her right,"

Anna glanced up at him, "Does it really?"

Kei frowned. "What do you mean?"

She shook her head and paid attention to Neko. To be laughed at by one's 'friends' was certainly cruel. Anna knew that Crystal-Belle had expected those girls to support her instead of laughing at her. Anna pitied her despite how mean she was because that girl hadn't had a single sincere person close to her in a very long time.

* * *

_Her dreams were not nice. She was among the trees where she had found Kei, but Tatara was lying there instead. He had his eyes closed and was dressed in the casual pants and a white shirt that was rolled up to his arms._

_She knelt next to him. "It's cold. Let's go inside,"_

_He opened his eyes, but they were empty, lifeless. He smiled suddenly, but it was a sick kind of smile, and a trail of blood was running down the side of his mouth. _

"_I'm already cold, Anna. Don't you want to be cold too?" he asked in a slow, hideous voice._

_Anna cried out and drew back. He rose to his feet and the settings around her change to city. She was standing on top of a building. She looked around her, shocked at the change. _

_When her eyes returned to Tatara, she saw that it wasn't him there: it was the Colorless King in the body of Yashiro Isana, the body that the Silver King had occupied for a period of time until the Colorless King had been killed by Mikoto. _

_He was aiming his gun at her. "Nice night isn't it, Anna-chan?" he asked as he smiled wickedly. She took two steps back and fell down, seeming to trip on something, and the scene began to change again. _

_She was in that room again...with that man. The man who Mikoto and the others had rescued her from right before she became a member of the Red Clan. He was drawing closer to her with a sick smile on his face...he would torture her with pain in order to heighten the use of her power._

_He was the one person Anna feared more than anyone or anything._

_She shorter, dressed in blue. She was on the ground and she crept away from him as the monster came closer to her. Her heart was beating faster. _

"_No, no please go away," she begged. _

"_There's no getting away this time, Anna-chan. The Red King is dead,"_

_The image came before her of Mikoto, with a sword driven straight through him, his bright red blood splashed onto the pure, white snow. _

"_I'm sorry, Anna, I won't be able to show you my lovely red anymore..."_

* * *

"Why are you so miserable, Yata-san?" Kamamoto asked his friend as they sat outside, under the dark sky. They had been searching for a missing strain and had come upon him high on drugs. They were waiting for Mikoto and Reisi to come and give them more instructions.

"I was caught up in this awesome anime and there was this incredible manga that they began to publish both before and while the episodes were airing..." Yata's voice trailed off as his expression became angry.

"And?" Kamamoto prompted.

"They made me like the nicest character in the manga, and then they killed him off in the very first episode of the anime,"

"Oh, well that's very sad then,"

"That's not all! They killed off the most badass character in the last episode of it too! Who the heck does that?!" Yata complained. "I cried for that episode." he mumbled and Kamamoto patted his back comfortingly.

"Maybe there'll be a season 2, and the badass guy would be alive,"

"They said they would have a second season, but no one really knows if he would be..."

They both turned around when they saw the Blue King approaching them.

"Yata-san, I need to borrow your bat," the Blue King told him.

Yata looked reluctant, but Mikoto had instructed them to help the other king if he asked for anything. It seemed that they had to be tolerant of the other king as everyone was under a truce during this critical time.

Reisi held out his hand. "Well, give it here," Reisi ordered.

Yata hugged his beloved bat to him and gave him a doubtful look. "What do you want it for?"

Reisi sighed. The Red Clan could be really stubborn sometimes.

"I need to borrow it so that I don't have to use my sword,"

Yata hugged his bat closer. "Well, lend me your sword and I'll lend you my bat,"

Reisi's eyebrows twitched at his words. He lifted a hand and adjusted his glasses. "A king does not give out his choice of weapon to just anyone,"

Kamamoto spoke then, "Well, the clansman of one king should not lend out his choice of weapon to another king,"

Yata turned to Kamamoto and grinned, "Good one, Kamamoto-san!"

Reisi smirked. "Ah, you are quite correct," However, he reached down and easily snatched away Yata's bat from him.

"Wha-hey! Give it back!" Yata snapped.

"I'm being a hypocrite for a moment, Misaki Yata. Forgive me, but you'll get it back soon," Reisi informed him over his shoulder as he walked away.

Yata chased after him and Kamamoto chased after Yata.

* * *

_Mikoto was seeing what she was seeing; him dying. He felt the pain she was feeling; the fear, the loneliness as the man who approached her was reaching for her. Mikoto was seeing all this through a glass window. _

_He raised a fist, covered in his red aura and drove it through the window, smashing it to pieces. He ran toward the man who was coming after Anna. He stood in front of her and and sent a punch at him. The man flew away from her into the opposite wall. As soon as he hit it, he disappeared like dissipating smoke. _

_Mikoto saw Anna on the ground, looking up at him, still afraid but relieved. _

_He stooped on one leg and caught her thin arms in his hands. "I'm alive Anna. I'm alive," he assured her and pulled her close to him, hugging her small body to him, letting her feel his familiar warmth and body. _

_She clutched the material of his white shirt. "You're alive?" she whispered, her voice muffled into his clothes. _

"_I'm alive," he once more assured her and rested his chin on top of her head while her arms went around his neck, hugging him tightly. _

* * *

Anna's eyes opened from her dream and the feel of the familiar strong arms around her disappeared. She expected the warmth to completely melt away as well, but it didn't. Turning her head to the side, she saw her red marbles on top the nightstand. One of them was glowing a brilliant red. With a soft smile, she whispered, "Mikoto," and its light began to slowly fade away.

Even though they were so far from each other, their bond transcended that distance and he was able to somehow use his power to trigger her telepathy and reach out to her and destroy her nightmare by taking over her dreams.

* * *

Mikoto opened his eyes in time to see a bat swinging at him. He ducked in time. He had been leaning against a tree.

"Munakata, what are you doing?" he demanded as he sat up and scratched his head. He was still feeling a bit muggy from his nap. The Blue King had the bat to his side. Thankfully, it had not smashed into the tree as it would have been destroyed.

"Hn. Do you have idea as to how long I've been trying to wake you?" Munakata demanded, annoyed.

Yata and Kamamoto were running up behind him.

"You took _my_ bat to attack _my_ king?! You _bastard_!" Yata snarled.

Munakata held out his weapon to him and he snatched it away, holding it to him protectively.

"You wouldn't wake up, no matter what I did, Suoh. You weren't dreaming well based on that disturbed expression you had. Were you having a nightmare?" Mikoto said nothing, but Munakata continued with a very serious look on your face. "You also called a name in your sleep, Suoh. You said '_Anna_',"

Mikoto visibly stiffened while Kamamoto and Yata stared at Mikoto in surprise.

"Yata, Kamamoto, go back," he ordered.

They gave him wary looks, but obeyed. Mikoto rubbed his cheek. It seemed that Munakata had punched him or something to wake him before he got a hold of the bat.

"What obedient dogs you have, Suoh-but they obey only you,"

Mikoto grunted.

Munakata sighed and added, "You're a person no one would expect to have a cute little girl at your side like her. I remember last year when we were at that High School on the island, I spotted the two of you lying on that fallen building. You must have certainly cared for her deeply to let her sleep beside you, and for you to use your power to keep her warm. I had been very surprised,"

Mikoto said nothing for a moment, for his mind was on the nightmare she had been having. He had never really realized the extent to which his actions, his choice of death last December, had really affected her until that moment.

"She likes my hair," he told him with a shrug.

The leader of Scepter 4 gave him a bemused look.

"It's red," he explained, not caring whether or not Reisi knew that the only color Anna could decipher was red.

Reisi smirked, knowing that wasn't the truth. "She clings to you for the same reason your clan members cling to you but at a far deeper level. Even so, she's different, isn't she? I've mentioned before that she clings to you as much as you cling to her,"

Mikoto was getting annoyed by Reisi's interest in his relationship with Anna.

"Why do you care?" he asked, annoyed.

Reisi shrugged. "Your relationship is not one that is seen everyday, Suoh,"

No, it wasn't at all. "But she's away from you right now, going to some school. She's growing up. Maybe one day she will get a boyfriend,"

Mikoto snorted. "He would have to be someone very impressive; Anna is not easily impressed," He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He was not feeling very friendly toward Reisi at the moment so he did not offer him one.

"He would have to be more impressive than _you_," Reisi corrected him and Mikoto glanced at him. Reisi actually grinned at him. "there might be a guy like that out there you know,"

Mikoto seriously doubted it. It was not that he was being arrogant, he just knew how Anna was and the person who impressed Anna the most was _him_, mainly because he was unlike everyone else. Could there really be someone more unique than him in Anna's eyes? He doubted it.

"Little girls do grow up, Suoh and their concepts of who the perfect guy is _do_ change. She may want to get married and have children of her own someday. What will you do then?"

"That's a long time from now, Munakata," Mikoto stated, his words firm indicating that he wanted very much for Reisi to shut the hell up. While he would prefer that Anna end up with someone more impressive than him instead of someone less, the thought about her removed from his side did not sit well with him.

* * *

_A/N: So sorry for the delayed chapter! I really can't update as I used to. _

_Thanks so much for all the reviews, I truly appreciated them._

_Indochine-thanks so much. I do check out the tumblr quite often for more info. _

_Bree Renee-Well, I think this chapter answers your question regarding the boy who looks like Tatara :)_

_sasusaku3623649-hope you enjoyed this chapter! sorry for the late update!_

_schmooplepoo-well, Chitose is with Maria in this story. He was really just teasing Yata in the last chapter :P I'm not really sure if Kuroh is a strain or not. I know that in the last episode of the anime when he was changed into a dog, a lot of people were wondering if he really was a strain, or if that was Neko's illusion. _

_uponmyfigtree-Yep, Neko is very much a hyper teacher. I think she enjoys it, but she's really still sad about Shiro/Adolf. _

_For :yep, she's being hunted as well. You're welcome :)_

_nannerlovessnickers-good luck with your finals, study hard, pray hard and I'm sure you'll do awesome (make me proud!)_

_Ihadyprilla-Well, I guess this chapter answers your question on Totsuka's lookalike :)_

_Ambivalencia-I probably disappointed you and lots of others with the lack of Anna/Mikoto fluff in this chapter. Maybe next chapter I'll include some more. I do miss writing it in. _

_Miechan-ish-hope you liked this chapter, and sorry for the late updates (and any future late updates :/)_

_ellywhite-well, I don't think this Totsuka-like dude could ever top the real Totsuka, but I do hope you come to like him :)_

_TheRoseShadow21-yeah, it's hard to imagine him being the long haired Silver King again, but he'll make an appearance in the future. _

_Nobody Special-hey, you ARE special. Lol. Glad you like the story:)_

_Mugi-pyon-hope you keep enjoying it (and puppy eyes are really rather mainstream. They still work though! But kitten eyes are just as effective) :)  
_

**_So, thank you guys so much for the reviews (hope I spelled no one's names wrong), I love you and I truly appreciated them. I apologize for the lack of Anna/Mikoto fluff, but I do hope you enjoyed the chapter still. Thank you also to all those who favorite and follow this story:)_**

**_I'm also really sorry for my irregular updating :(_**

**_Let me know what you thought about this chapter :) God Bless. _**

_P.S. I wonder which anime Yata had been referring to...?_


	20. Unlikely Friends

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 20: Unlikely Friends

"Anna-san!" came the voice of Kei Junichi.

Anna turned around, not really surprised to see Kei running up to her as she headed to the kickboxing club on Monday after classes. The day had gone boring and fairly quiet for her although many of the girls in class glared at her hatefully. She realized that it was because of Kei: he was handsome and all the girls from her grade knew him because they had all been in the school the previous year and either saw him around or had spoken to him for they were impressed by his good looks and charming smile.

Well, his smile was very much like her Totsuka's: extremely charming and could disarm almost anyone. She was quite certain that Kei knew the power of his smile and he used it to his advantage on everyone. He was a bit like Totsuka in that way because Totsuka would smile to coax her into doing something she was reluctant to do.

"_Anna, would you like to come with me the store?" Totsuka asked a newly turned seven year old Anna who was sitting at Mikoto's side where it was warm. Anna was reluctant to go because she was beside Mikoto on the couch. Mikoto wasn't really paying attention to them because he was half-dozing. _

_Totsuka knew she didn't want to go and did not want to say 'no' because she would feel bad if she did. He smiled brilliantly at her. "Come on, we won't be very long," His smile probably worked with her better than her puppy eyes on Izumo. _

_So, she hopped off the couch, ready to go with him. _

"_Why are you taking her out into the cold?" Mikoto's voice demanded, gravelly from his sleepiness. _

_Anna and Totsuka looked at him. He was wearing a black buttoned jacket and blue jeans and his golden eyes were on the two. _

"_Anna hasn't come out in a long time. She remains locked up here inside with you," Totsuka replied, smiling._

_Mikoto snorted. "No one wants to be out there,"_

"_Ah, well the king can remain inside while his princess and his vassal will go out and get some yummy strawberry cakes,"_

_The cakes made Anna even happier to go. Totsuka looked back at Mikoto again, smiling nicely, "Unless you would like to go too,"_

_Mikoto sighed and got up. "Let's go," he muttered. _

_Both Anna and Tosuka were shocked. They blinked at him for they had not expected him to actually agree. He frowned. "What? Let's go," he ordered._

_And so, the two full grown men walked outside with the little girl. She held onto the edge of Mikoto's jacket as she walked. _

"_And here I thought I was getting Anna all to myself," Tatara said with a sad face. _

"_You asked me to come along, idiot," Mikoto reminded him, seemingly grouchy. Then again, Mikoto could be grouchy if he did not sleep well enough. _

_Totsuka grinned. "So I did,"_

_Anna knew he was just teasing Mikoto. Still, she reached out and took hold of his hand. It was not as large as Mikoto's, and certainly not as strong, but it offered a different kind of comfort, and she was content to have him at her other side. _

_She was glad when she was rewarded by her gesture with another lovely smile. _

Totsuka naturally used his smile and he did not do it with insincerity or for a reason to benefit himself. He was always much too kind.

This guy, she suspected, would probably do it to get out of trouble. She had a feeling Kei was a troublemaker who knew _exactly_ how to get out of trouble. That was another similarity and difference between the two people who had similar smiles: while Totsuka did a lot of pranks, mainly on Mikoto, he never looked for ways to get out of it and always accepted his punishment-which was usually a whack on the head by the annoyed king.

That made her recall a particular incident when Totsuka tried to get Mikoto to display how much Anna really meant to him. Mikoto, back then, was of course not as affectionate with her and the most anyone would see him do was occasionally pat her head.

"_King! Something bad has happened to Anna!" Totsuka cried out as he shoved open the door of the kitchen that led to the living room. Mikoto, napping on the couch, immediately sat up. _

_Rubbing his face to try to awaken more, he said, "What? What happened?"_

"_Anna's been hurt!"_

_Anna, gently dabbing at her finger with a white cloth, looked up when she saw Mikoto come in behind Totsuka. He stooped down in front of her. _

"_What happened?" he demanded, his eyes narrowed and dead serious._

"_I got a little cut," she answered as she removed the white cloth from her finger that was stained with blood. It was just a little nick._

_Mikoto's eyebrows rose slightly. He glanced up at Totsuka. "You made it sound like she needed stitches,"_

_Totsuka chuckled nervously. "Well, for a seven year old girl, it may seem so,"_

_Mikoto stood up, whacked Totsuka at the back of his head before returning his attention to Anna. Gently, he took her tiny hand in his own and observed the little cut on her index finger. He sighed and looked at her. _

"_Does it hurt?"_

_She shook her head. _

"_How did you get this?" He frowned, remembering that they were in the kitchen. He frowned at her. "Were you using a knife?"_

"_No. Papercut from a book," She pointed with her free hand to a cookbook that was on the kitchen counter. _

_He released her hand and stood up, kindly patting her on the head. "It will heal soon. Use a band-aid,"_

_Anna nodded, her cheeks slightly red. "Thank you, Mikoto,"_

_He left the room to go back to sleep._

_Totsuka hummed to himself as he went searching through the cupboards for a band-aid. "That's the first time I saw the king so worried over anyone. You're very important to him, you know,"_

_Anna said nothing but Tatara smiled warmly at her blushing face._

* * *

"Anna-san, you're spacing out," Kei told her and waved a hand in front of her face, startling her out of her thoughts. She glanced at him. "You do this quite often huh?" he asked, a concerned expression on his face.

"Why are you here?" she questioned as she neared the kickboxing gym.

"I wanted to see you," he replied, smiling.

"Why do you want to see me?"

"Because you're interesting," he answered simply and smiled.

Anna stopped and looked at him. "I'm boring," she stated.

"You're a princess who's doing kickboxing. That's interesting," he pointed out.

"I'm not a princess," she told him.

"But you seem like one. I've heard you do ballet and aikido too, and you said you were a member of the archery club. I also heard you're an excellent academic,"

Anna glanced at him. "How do you know that?"

"I asked around. The girls from your class were really glad to tell me how tomboyish you are. Oh, you should be cautious around those girls you know. They really don't seem to like you,"

Anna sighed as she reached the door of the gym.

"Hey Anna-san, who's Tatara?" he asked her, reminding her that she had called him that when they had met the day before.

She looked at him. "My brother," she answered.

"Oh, I look like him? It would wonderful to meet such a splendid guy,"

Anna blinked at him. "He's dead," she stated flatly and opened the door.

Kei was visibly stunned by her words. "Oh...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories of him,"

Anna turned away to leave, but he caught hold of the sleeve of her shirt. He looked at her with sincere eyes, "Hey Anna-san, do I annoy you?"

Anna looked at him for a long moment. Did he annoy her? His presence and his smile reminded her too much of Totsuka, but out of everyone here from both schools, he was the only person who approached her. Despite his vanity, she could sense that he wasn't a bad person at all and she liked having someone to talk to around her age.

"Sometimes you do," she answered honestly and he looked a bit downcast. However, she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and with a visibly softer look, she added, "but sometimes you don't."

His face lit up happily and Anna opened the door to her gym where she was warmly welcomed by the rough and tough men of her kickboxing club.

* * *

"I wonder how Anna is doing," Izumo commented as he sat down to have lunch with Mikoto in the headquarters of the Gold King. Mikoto was going through some data given to him on the strains who were still missing and they were searching for. He was eating some ramen while doing so.

Mikoto glanced at his friend. "She's fine," he stated, or at least he thought so (and hoped).

"I was just thinking that as a member of the Red Clan, she might be prone to trouble," Izumo said.

"Anna is not troublesome person,"

"True, but with us of the Red Clan, if we don't find trouble, trouble finds _us_,"

* * *

And so it went for the rest of the week with Anna's new friend: he would meet her up before she went to a club and would chat with her on the way there. Well, _he_ spoke, she just listened. Lunchtime was with Neko who was still depressed.

It was on Friday that she witnessed a case bullying. The victim was none other than Crystal-Belle. She was standing over a desk that had litter on it: snack cake wrappers, soda cans and nasty writing on it.

"Your desk looks real pretty," the short haired girl who was Crystal-Belle's friend stated in a nasty tone of voice.

"For real. Not such a big shot now, are you? Kei's ignoring you," the longer haired 'friend' added.

Crystal-Belle said nothing as she picked up the trash on her desk. She turned from the other girls to go to the bin and throw it away, but one of them shoved her to the ground, making her cry out. All the other girls in class laughed.

Anna glanced at the scene. She saw Crystal-Belle's thoughts: she did not want her father to find out that she was getting bullied otherwise he would take her from the school and take her back to Europe where she would be bullied at home. For Crystal-Belle, that was worse than being bullied at school because when she went to bed at night, she would be by herself and no worries in her dorm room. At home, the wicked step-mother and step-sister were there still and would pick on her while her father let it go on in his ignorance.

Moved with pity, Anna walked to Crystal-Belle and stood before her.

Crystal-Belle saw her white sneakers and looked up from her kneeling position to see the blank faced princess looking at her. She seemed to think Anna was going to bully her too. However, Anna held out her hand to her.

She was stunned. Crystal-Belle hadn't bullied anyone really, but she had made snide remarks to Anna out of jealousy.

"W-Why?" she whispered.

"Hey, what are you doing?" one of the girls demanded.

She made an attempt use her foot to hit at Crystal-Belle, but Anna covered Crystal-Belle in time and used her arm to block the kick from below.

The girls gasped and stood away from her. They noted the hard expression in her eyes. "You-you're really a martial artist, aren't you? I've heard the boys say you're a kickboxing prodigy," the shorter haired girl commented fearfully. She obviously did not know that Anna had been trained previously by some of the best fighters out there (namely her clansmen).

Anna merely stood up, and holding Crystal-Belle's arm, pulled her to her feet as well.

Then, she simply flipped back her ponytail of alabaster hair which had fallen over her shoulder.

Suddenly, over the speaker, Natsume's voice stated, "Kushina Anna, Crystal-Belle Hisoka, Aki Chiharu, Kasumi Madoka, I want you in my office right away!"

* * *

The four girls stood before Natsume in her plush office.

Natsume was standing behind her desk with her arms folded. To her side was a pair of security guards.

"Do you know why this school is known for _not_ having bullying?" she demanded, a clearly ticked off expression on her face.

All four girl shook their heads.

She motioned to the security guards who went to the television and switched it on. One of them used a remote and by simply flipping through the channels, they came upon a video of Aki Chiharu and Kasumi Madoka along with several other girls dumping litter and defacing Crystal-Belle's desk.

Then, it moved to Crystal-Belle entering, getting bullied and Anna defending her.

The television switched off and Natsume turned back to the girls.

"Aki and Kasumi, who do you think you are defacing my property?!" she shouted and both girls became frightened.

"Is this how your parents trained you? To destroy things and harass other students?" she continued.

They shook their heads.

Natsume continued, "Did you read your school guidelines?"

They nodded slowly, but a bit uncertain.

"Then you should know that acts of bullying, defacing of school property and littering are all considered acts upon which immediate expulsion is required!"

The two bullies gasped in shock. "But Natsume-sensei..." Aki, the longer haired on tried to protest.

"What, you didn't read the guidelines? You think that because you are rich, you can come in here and do as you like? Absolutely not! If other parents find out what has been done by you two they will demand that you be expelled!"

"You're lying! That isn't true!" Kasumi began to sob.

"Am I?" Natsume asked softly. She stood up and walked to her filing cabinet that was to the left of her desk. She opened it, flipped through some files, pulled out one and threw it on her desk. She flipped it open and there was the picture of a student with brown hair tied in a ponytail.

"This student was expelled three years ago because other parents demanded that such an unruly child be kicked out. This could be you as well,"

The girls were clearly upset and afraid. They did not want to go home because their parents held this school in high esteem. To be removed from it would be a great shame to them because it required more than just money to get in: smarts, athletic ability or at least some kind of talent.

"But we weren't the only ones involved. Other girls did stuff too,"

"Those girls defaced school property and did indirectly bully Crystal-Belle, but you two were the instigators and the cameras directly show that. I'm sorry girls. I want you both to wait outside until I finish speaking to Crystal-Belle and Anna,"

The girls were ushered away by Natsume's receptionist who entered a short while before. They were shaking and weeping in their misery.

Natsume let out a weary sigh and sank into her chair. She looked at Crystal-Belle. "If those two girls get expelled, I will have to report it to your father,"

Crystal-Belle looked unhappy. "Please don't. He'll take me from here. I like it here,"

Natsume sighed again. "I'm sure you do. Please wait outside as well. I want to talk to Anna now,"

Crystal-Belle left, followed by the security guards and Natsume motioned for Anna to sit.

"She doesn't want to go home. I can sense that there's a lot of emotional turmoil in her," Natsume was telling Anna.

"She isn't on good terms with her family," Anna informed her. Normally she would tell no one what she saw when someone's thoughts and memories were projected onto her, but she figured that she would make an exception in this instance because Natsume was trustworthy.

So, she proceeded to tell the older woman all that she knew.

Natsume looked thoughtful when she had finished speaking. "Hm...I think I know what to do. Go call the girls back inside, please,"

Anna nodded and moved to go, but Natsume's words stopped her for a moment, "One of the traits that stand out the most in Homra is their desire to protect. You really displayed that today, Anna-chan,"

* * *

When Anna opened the door, she saw that Aki and Kasumi were sitting on chairs to the left of the doorway. Crystal-Belle was sitting opposite them. They looked up when they saw her.

"Natsume-sensei wants to see all of you," she told them.

They nodded and followed her inside. Natsume was leaning back in her chair, looking more relaxed now.

"So tell me, why were you bullying your classmate? I thought she was your friend," Natsume directed her words to the two bullies.

They looked at each other, surprised that she knew that they had been friends with the pretty blonde. "I do keep a good eye on my students. So tell me, I'm waiting,"

Aki began. "Well," she stammered, "she always liked to act better than us,"

"And we didn't like it," Kasumi added.

Natsume frowned at them. "I want the truth you two. It might save you from expulsion,"

The girls swallowed, knowing they had to come clean.

"We really didn't like her attitude, but she was richer than us so we decided to be her friend!" Aki blurted out.

"Then my dad was telling me that her dad lost a lot of money on the stock market so she wasn't as rich anymore and then Kei told her that he liked Anna more than her..."

"So you tried to pick on her when you thought she was most vulnerable because you could now stand over her, thinking you were richer than her now," Natsume finished off. She knew exactly who Kei was. The girls really got silly over him.

The girls nodded reluctantly, ashamed of themselves.

Natsume nodded. "Okay, well this is what you are going to do. I want you both to apologize to Crystal-Belle,"

They both did so. They bowed and apologized quickly.

"I think I should also inform you that Hisoka-san did not loose money in the stock market. It was just a rumor. He called me himself and provided me with appropriate evidence that showed that he is as filthy rich as ever and that his financial position should therefore not compromise his daughter's position in this school,"

Both girls paled at her words. Natsume continued, "Despite this, such utter snobbery is absolutely not commendable and I am deeply ashamed of you both. You two, along with the rest of your classmates who defaced that desk will clean and scrub it until it is brand new,"

The girls did not seem to like the idea, but accepted it. It was better than expulsion.

"Furthermore, you will be given cleaning duties, you and any other students that I have found guilty of such behavior,"

"Cleaning duties?!" they gasped.

Natsume nodded. "Yes. It was done to the last class that had such bad attitudes and it will be done to your class as well. All of you. Except Anna,"

"Why not her?" Kasumi demanded.

"Because she has not done a single thing to anyone of you. She minds her own business, does well in school and participates to the best of her ability in several clubs. The rest of you have become lazy, ignore your schoolwork and pay attention to the boys next door instead and you display such nasty attitudes toward each other. That's an absolute disgrace to this school's name!"

The girls looked very downcast.

"I also want for you to have counseling sessions with me on weekends. I want to know what exactly is going through your minds,"

Both girls looked distraught, but they accepted their situation. Anything was better than being kicked out of school.

They were dismissed.

"Crystal-Belle, you have not exactly had a nice attitude toward Anna. I want you to apologize to her now,"

Crystal-Belle nodded and bowed, giving her an apology. "I also think you should thank her because if she hadn't saved you, you could have gotten seriously hurt from that kick,"

Crystal-Belle bowed again. "Thank you."

Anna nodded in acceptance.

"I want you to also come to me for counseling sessions," Natsume added. "you will have cleaning duties as well, but not as much as the others. I think that you have been quite humbled, haven't you?"

Crystal-Belle nodded.

She was dismissed and was told that she would be notified later on about when her sessions would be.

Natsume turned to Anna and smiled. "So, Kei,"

Anna frowned. "What about him?"

"That troublemaker has grown attached to you,"

"Yes, he seems to have," Anna agreed.

Natsume smiled kindly. "He certainly is very much like Totsuka Tatara,"

Anna said nothing to that.

"Anna-chan, I am quite sure that you noticed already that while in a few aspects he may be similar to your late caretaker, in much more, he is quite different,"

Anna looked at her. "Who is he exactly?"

"He's actually here partially on a scholarship. His tuition and dorm is covered by the scholarship, but not things such as food, transport and textbooks. His family is wealthy, but not as wealthy as others. In fact, while he might be rich compared to the common man, he is actually quite poor compared to the rest of students here,"

"But if he's here on a scholarship, why is he such a troublemaker? Won't his behavior affect cause him to loose it?"

"He's a troublemaker meaning that he likes to flirt too much with girls and he likes to use his weak condition to get out of classes. He can be a smart-mouth with his teachers, but he is a good student and tops his classes,"

"I see,"

"He's generally a good boy,"

Anna nodded. "What is he sick with?"

"Anemia," Natsume answered. "he still tries to participate in some clubs, like last year he tried a few but it didn't work out. Haru told me was trying the gymnast club, but it doesn't seem likely that that would be alright for him,"

Anna had a feeling that Kei was sick with something more, but she accepted Natsume's words. Kei probably did not want anyone to know what his condition really was.

"I wonder what Mikoto would say if I told him your first friend was a boy from the other school?"

Anna froze at that. No, she could not picture Mikoto being too happy about that. Or any of the other guys. They were very overprotective and would probably find ways to threaten poor Kei from miles away in Shizume City.

She could picture Yata holding his bat with an angry glare and stating, '_Oi you, get away from our Anna!_'

They would also not like for her to be near him due to how much he smiled like their Totsuka. In fact, they might feel inclined to beat the smile off his face. Anna almost shuddered at the thought of her family who loved to fight.

Natsume chuckled. "I won't tell them, Anna-chan,"

Anna gave a faint smile of relief.

* * *

The classroom was dead silent when she had returned to it. Aki and Kasumi seemed to be reasonably humbled and kept themselves quietly to the back. During lunch hour, they, together with the other girls who had marred the desk, had to clean it up.

Anna, meanwhile, decided to head up to the roof for her lunch. She had onigiri again today. For some strange reason, she felt like she only wanted to eat that for lunch.

As she headed up the stairs, she sensed someone behind her. Glancing around, she saw Crystal-Belle peeking at her from behind the wall below the step. She seemed to want to join Anna for lunch but was shy and ashamed for how she had treated Anna before. In a way, she reminded Anna a little bit of Eric when he had first come to Homra...somewhat like an abused animal.

"I'm going to the roof," Anna said, startling the girl. "you can come if you like."

Crystal-Belle did follow her there and as soon as they were out the door, a blast of cold air met them. The blond shivered.

"It's so cold," she whispered and wrapped her thing arms around herself.

Anna had a bag with her and she pulled out something from it and tossed it around Crystal-Belle's shoulders. The girl was startled and she found that there was actually a thick blanket thrown over her shoulders. Anna pulled out a smaller blanket and threw it on the ground. She sat on it and allowed for Crystal-Belle to sit beside her. Crystal-Belle did so, quite warily.

Anna opened her lunchbox and there sat several onigiri.

She took one and offered another to Crystal-Belle.

The girl looked at her, shocked, but accepted one. The wind blew again and Anna shivered. Crystal-Belle realized that Anna was probably cold too, so she shifted some of the blanket onto her.

Anna said nothing as they ate.

She knew the other girl would talk when she was ready. And she did, by the second onigiri.

"My mom had wanted me to have a Japanese name," Crystal-Belle was telling her, Anna continued eating and somehow Crystal-Belle knew that she was listening. "My father wanted me to have a more Western name. He named me Crystal after his grandmother who had been American, and Belle because it means 'beautiful'. But my mom, although European, still put a Japanese middle name for me because she loved Japan so much. Akemi,"

Anna glanced at her.

Crystal-Belle gave a tiny smile, her blue eyes filled with tears. "My mom named me Akemi; it means 'bright beauty',"

Anna nodded. "Akemi,"

Crystal-Belle blushed slightly and then wiped at her tears, "You can call me that if you like. My mom used to...before she died,"

Anna nodded.

Suddenly, a pretty light pink cat jumped down near to them, startling Crystal-Belle/Akemi.

_(A/N: Crystal-Belle will be referred to as Akemi mostly from now on)_

"Nyaa," it went.

Anna took out a napkin and placed two tuna onigiri on it for Neko. She ate them happily. Anna had only had one and she had let Akemi have the other two. She was still hungry, but she did not mind. She preferred giving than getting anyway. Neko seemed to keep a preference to her cat form lately, and Anna was becoming increasingly worried about her. All she had learned from her since their first meeting in Seneca was that the Silver King had never expected the Himmelreich to be attacked and that he had kept her safely up there when the illusion type strains became targeted.

When the Himmelreich had been attacked, they were attacking a different type of strain, suggesting that the Himmelreich itself might have really been what the Rise wanted, and Neko was an added bonus. Anna had yet to get more details from her and due to her club activities and Natsume's work schedule, Anna never quite got around to getting more information from her either. She could not ask when she had seen her in the office either because she had had to go back to class. Anna made up her mind to make the time to talk to Natsume about this situation.

As Akemi munched on her last onigiri, she said, "I'm glad I don't have to go away. No one loves me at home. Not my dad or my step-mom or step-sister," It seemed Akemi did not mind Neko too much who was still eating her onigiri.

"Your dad called the school to make sure that Natsume-sensei knew that you could remain here," Anna reminded her quietly.

Akemi was startled because Anna had actually spoken. However, she shook her head. "Maybe he's just glad that I'm away,"

Anna said nothing to that.

* * *

Later that day, she was heading to ballet class when Akemi caught up with her. Kei had arrived right after her.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked Akemi, surprised to see her there. Then, he smiled charmingly and put his arm around her shoulders. "you wanted to see me, right?"

He was rewarded with a right hook from Akemi. He ducked in time.

"In your dreams, pretty boy," she snapped. Then, she caught hold of Anna's arm and tugged her toward class. "Anna's _my_ friend from now on; not yours!" she declared.

"What? Hey, no fair! You get her all day in class _and_ for ballet!" Kei protested, chasing after them. Anna, who had been pining away for Homra since her arrival in Seneca, felt a little better thanks to her two new, unlikely friends

* * *

"_You're happy," Mikoto stated as he lay down on the bed beside her. Anna opened her eyes in the very soothing atmosphere of the dream she was having. She saw Mikoto the way he usually looked in full color and as always, she was glad to see his golden eyes. _

"_Why do you say that?"_

_Mikoto smirked and reached to her, capturing her chin between his thumb and forefinger. He tilted it more upright toward him. "You're smiling, Anna,"_

_She pulled her head away and sat up. "I'm not,"_

_Mikoto caught her arm and pulled her back down to the bed to lie down beside him. He gathered her close to him and leaned down to press his forehead against hers, giving her a meaningful look through his beautiful amber eyes. _

"_Are you happy, Anna?" he asked her softly. _

_She nodded reluctantly, unable to resist him when his voice was so soft, almost coaxing. "I'm a little happier," she admitted and looked back at him with her gray eyes. _

_He kissed her forehead and moved to lie on his back. Anna drew closer to him and lay her head on his arm. _

"_But __I miss you still," she said to him honestly. _

"_I know," he told her as he turned his head to look at her. _

"_I want to come home still,"_

"_I know," he said again. _

_Anna looked at him with an unhappy look on her face. "I know I can't come home yet,"_

_Mikoto nodded and gently pat her head comfortingly and she snuggled closer to him._

* * *

_A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews from the last chapter. I especially enjoyed writing this chapter :)_

_Nevertheless: Aww...thanks so much! I'm glad you're really enjoying this fic  
_

_annashina: you're welcome :)_

_Indochine: Got back to work as in back to work on this fic? I'm always working on it when I can :P If you mean back to work as in a job...more like looking for a job while going to school still during this hard economic times :/ Anyway, thanks for your review :)_

_Bree Renee: Hope you're doing okay :) I'm glad you liked Kei. I was wondering how people would react to him since he's an OC :)_

_nannerlovessnickers: you're welcome ^_^_

_blueeyes775: Hm...we'll have to see who she ends up with (IF she ends up with anyone *evil grin*) Lol :) But I hope you keep enjoying the updates :)_

_ladeste: I'm glad you really enjoyed the chapters and I hope you enjoyed this one too :)_

_Ambivalencia: Good to hear from you!_

_DesiKimchi: Hope you liked this chapter, and the next one I post up too :)_

_Meichan-ish: That's really nice of you to say. Thank you :)_

_AvaEobane: You are back! Awesomesauce! You'll see more of Neko, and from the Silver King too :)_

_Guest: Glad you liked their interaction!_

_D: Well, we'll see how things move along with everyone :) I hope they announce the second season's date soon..._

_MidniteCurse4Eternity: Thanks so much for your kind words and I'm so glad you like this story so much, including the parts with the devices :) That really meant a lot to me, so thank you and I hope you keep enjoying the story._

_FireRaven99: Thanks for your review! You'll see Kuroh in good time ;)_

_Ihadyprilla: I rewatched episode 13 and cried again. I felt like Gora really trolled us...he gave me so much hope that things would turn out okay after Anna and the others met Shiro...but then it didn't! . You were right about Crystal-Belle/Akemi becoming Anna's friend :)_

_Shiary: I'm glad to hear that you love the story :)_

_**So thank you all so much for your reviews, they meant a lot to me and I really really appreciated them. A big thank you also to all those who follow and favorite this story. I love you all very, very much.**  
_

_**I really enjoy writing flashbacks, especially the ones with Totsuka. **_

_**God Bless :)**_

_**Let me know your thoughts on this chapter :)**_


	21. Vision of Destruction

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 21: Vision of Destruction

"Nooo! Not my beautiful face!" Kei sobbed as he held a hand mirror in front of him, inspecting the wound he got from Akemi after he attempted to console her by hugging her when she shared her story about her parents with him and Anna while sitting in the cafeteria on Saturday afternoon. She had tried to punch him and he dodged but her fingernail caught the side of his cheek, causing a very tiny mark on his it.

"Get over it!" Akemi snapped at him.

Kei began to weep long tears as he grieved over horrendous mar to his beloved face. "This beautiful acne free face of mine! How could you?!" he demanded of Akemi. He pointed at her, "You're just jealous that I'm pimple-free! Unlike you!"

Akemi's face went red. "What are you talking about?"

He reached across the table and brushed the hair away from the side of her face, revealing a very tiny pimple there.

"Look! It exists! You're jealous of my milky skin that models envy me for so you decided to scar me for life!"

"How did you see this?" Akemi demanded and covered the small mar to her skin with her hair again.

Kei grinned wickedly. "I see everything, Akemi-darling," he reached across to her again and caught her chin between his fingers. His smile became more menacing. "_Every_ grain of hair that has a spilt, _every_ acne pimple, _every_ pound you put on...I'll be watching..._noticing_,"

Akemi pulled her face away. "You weirdo! And why are you acting like that over your stupid face?!"

"His face is his only good feature," Anna answered while gazing into her book beside Akemi. They were studying in the cafeteria because Akemi and Kei argued so much and created such a ruckus in there that the librarian banned them from there. Anna was still welcomed, but it was boring without the other two.

Akemi chuckled at Anna's words. Kei, however was not offended. In fact, he looked quite touched. "Anna-chan, you've noticed my good looks, haven't you?"

"And your rotten personality," Akemi muttered.

"No one asked you!" Kei snapped.

Over time, Anna and Akemi and Kei had become better friends. Anna was not a big conversationalist, but she asked them the right questions at the right time and said the right things at the right time to comfort them. They both told her about their families; Kei's parents were working abroad and he had an older brother who was attending school elsewhere.

Anna suspected that Akemi still liked Kei, but not simply for his looks. She was not fooled by his flirtatious charm anymore. From what Anna sensed, it was his comebacks to her spitfire remarks that attracted her. They tended to argue a lot and Kei won most of the arguments. When the three of them had started hanging out, Akemi seemed to believe that Kei was simply shallow, and he seemed to think the same of her but over time they gradually realized that there was more to each other and got along pretty well.

Anna was currently munching on a huge tray of onigiri. Her appetite had increased almost alarmingly and that was why they were in the cafeteria; so that she could eat. Natsume had assured her that it was normal as she was getting older. Her chest was also hurting more and when she looked in the mirror lately, she saw that her normally flat chest had developed two buds. Her lower stomach hurt sometimes too. Apparently she would start menstruating soon.

She didn't like the idea of it, but it had to happen.

Anna's thoughts were cut short by her friends' words.

"Hey Anna, how come you never talk about your family?" Akemi asked her. Kei, intrigued straightened his posture, indicating that he was interested.

Anna looked at them. "I have brothers," she answered, almost as though reciting from a script because she had been instructed about what to say if anyone asked.

"Really? How many?" Akemi asked, interested. Kei wisely kept quiet for he recalled that one of them was dead.

Anna recited the story given to her by Natsume. "I have two brothers and lots of older cousins,"

"And your parents?"

"Dead," she answered.

Kei choked on his water while Akemi's mouth dropped open. "What? They as well!" he gasped, sputtering out his water.

Anna glanced at him and nodded.

Akemi turned her attention to him. "What do you mean 'they as well'?"

Kei did not know what to say. He kept his eyes on Anna as he said, "Anna had a brother who looked like me. He died,"

Akemi covered her mouth. "Oh Anna! I never knew! And I'm always carrying on about my family! I'm so sorry!"

Anna shook her head. "It's alright,"

"But...er...how did they die?" Kei asked her.

"Car accident," she replied. It was the truth. She set down her book with a loud thump and the other two got the idea that she did not want to speak more on the matter.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Anna was at Aoi's, watching him work on a Suzuki motorbike. Neko had followed her there and was dressed in a long sleeved, furry yellow dress with matching boots in her human form.

She was eating at some fish crackers Aoi had given to her. He was glad to have their company. "I'm sure he misses you," Anna said out of the blue.

Neko, who was about to stuff some crackers in her mouth paused and glanced at her. "Anna? Who are you talking about?"

She looked at Neko straight in the eye and answered, "The Silver King,"

Neko seemed to nearly jump out of her skin at her words. She shoved her hands into the bag of fish crackers and began tossing them into her mouth.

"Shiro doesn't miss Neko!" she argued and continued stuffing the crackers in her mouth. Then, miserably, she said, "But I miss him,"

* * *

Kuroh stood before his king. "Shiro..." he voiced his friend's name.

Shiro, back into his original body as Adolf K Weismann, looked up from the framed picture he had in his hands. This body was much taller and stronger than the school boy, Yashiro Isana. His hair was also a beautiful, lustrous silver. It was thick, rich and long and it was perhaps his pride and joy.

"Kuroh, how are you?" Shiro asked with a kind smile.

"Better than you," Kuroh answered and frowned at his King.

"What do you mean?" Shiro questioned, still smiling, but Kuroh knew it was fake.

"If you miss Neko, just say so," Kuroh stated and snatched the picture out of his hands. It was a picture of Neko, smiling happily with her arms around Shiro.

Shiro sighed and leaned back in his armchair. "I miss her," he admitted.

"Then send for her,"

"I can't. She wanted to go to the school and she's safer there,"

Kuroh knew it would be unbecoming of him to pull out his hair and accuse his king of being completely stupid despite being someone who lived so long.

So, he did what he usually did: he pulled out his tape recorder and played a quote from Ichigen Miwa, his former master:

_'Distance can divide, and bring much pain to the lonesome heart' _were the words played from it.

Shiro chuckled. "But I'm not lonely. I have you, don't I?"

Kuroh sighed. "Shiro, something is wrong with you. When Neko was here, you pined away for your sister and stared at _her_ picture all the time, when Neko's gone, you pine for her and watch her picture. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Shiro denied.

"Something's definitely wrong, and you would refuse to spend time with us," Kuroh continued.

"I had a lot on my mind," Shiro told him and began smiling, showing that he would speak no more on the topic.

There came a knock at the door and it opened. Munakata Reisi and Suoh Mikoto entered. Shiro was surprised to see them. The two kings looked very stressed out. Reisi's eyes had dark circles under him and his eyes remained narrowed and glassy. He looked as though he hadn't slept in two days and would probably lop someone's head off with his sword if they just glanced at him the wrong way.

Mikoto's hair sprang up more. It looked almost quite funny. If Shiro had a proper way to describe his expression, it would be 'the tired look of a person who has been nagged by his mother for a week'. Shiro pitied them both.

"Hello," Shiro greeted them both.

The last time the three of them had been gathered, Mikoto had supposedly killed Shiro and Munakata had supposedly killed Mikoto. Thankfully, they were all still alive.

"It's good to see you," Shiro added after standing and giving a polite bow.

"Likewise," Munakata said and returned the greeting. Mikoto grunted and just nodded. Shiro grinned and accepted that.

"Excuse this guy's bad manners," Munakata said.

"I don't need you apologizing for me, Munakata," Mikoto grumbled.

"You're too uncouth for your own good. Didn't you learn proper etiquette?"

"I learned not to kiss ass," Mikoto retorted.

Munakata, who was already looking aggravated, seemed to become even more so at Mikoto's words. He clenched his hand in a fist.

"Ah, settle down you two. Now, tell me, why are you two here? Oh and Suoh-kun, how is Anna?"

"She's alright," Mikoto responded as he sat down on a chair motioned to him by Shiro.

Shiro turned to Munakata. "And Awashima-san?"

"She's doing well," Munakata answered.

"Wonderful. I am so happy to hear that your lovely female clansmen are doing great," Shiro told them.

Kuroh, leaning against a bookcase, wanted to say, 'But yours isn't and you aren't doing a thing about it!'

However, he wisely kept quiet. After all, a visit from two rivaling clans meant that there was something important to sort out.

"So what brings you both here?" Shiro questioned.

Munakata spoke first. "It's about the Rise. We may need your help...and advice,"

Shiro glanced at the two men. "You have some sort of disagreement?"

The two kings glanced at each other with annoyed expressions, clearing indicating that yes, they had indeed disagreed on something. Shiro sought to ensure peace between them. "Well, tell me what's going on?"

Munakata chose to talk. "My clan has done a personality profile on a man we suspect is the mastermind behind the Rise,"

"Yes, I was given a copy of the report you made on him. An egotistical genius whose disturbing obsession with learning about strains has led to this entire fiasco. From what I understand, you've narrowed down your searches over the past couple of weeks?" Shiro asked.

"Yes. We're left with one and we are quite sure that it's him," Reisi answered and handed him a file. Shiro accepted it and opened it. Kuroh drew close to him and looked over his shoulder at the person they believed created the devices and sought to capture the strains.

The name at the top of the first page was Shou Toshi. It held the picture of what seemed to be a very normal looking salary man. He was neatly dressed in a suit and had black hair streaked with grey and a set of glasses on. He looked simply..._ordinary_.

Well, Shiro had lived long enough to know not to underestimate someone. In fact, based on his profile as an egotist, he probably prided himself in the fact that he was so ordinary looking yet having a brilliant mind which gave him the element of surprise which probably further satisfied his narcissistic mind when people were impressed by it.

From what Shiro read from the profile, it seemed that Toshi worked for many years for Scepter 4 and then went to a governmental research facility where he worked in aerospace engineering before he returned to Scepter 4. He seemed to have gathered a strange obsession with strains and their powers and had actually been a key player in the development of the facilities of Scepter 4 for the care of the strains.

Over time, however, it seemed that he decided to do all sorts of weird experiments on the strains to test their power levels, some of these tests included torture with shock treatments. It was because of him and his crazy experiments that the government was forced to pass certain regulations regarding the rights of strains to protect them from such acts.

Toshi's acts had come to light and the Gold King had been severely displeased. He had tried to have Toshi arrested, but the man had disappeared five years ago.

"He definitely sounds like he could behind the Rise," Shiro stated. Shiro looked at Reisi. "But I must admit, it is all theoretical. You are just making the assumption that it is one person who is leading the Rise and has created and developed the devices,"

Reisi nodded. "Yes. That is true. However, we have been searching for him and the last information we found on him was that he had been recruiting people over the last couple of years. No one knows for what reason, but a large number of them were scientists whose backgrounds would have allowed them to be a part of the engineering of the devices. The more recent people he recruited gives more proof that that theory is, in fact true because the men who were caught and who died while in our custody had had contact with him over the last year or so,"

Shiro looked thoughtful. "I see. What do you have to say to this?" he directed his question to Mikoto.

Mikoto looked bored. "This guy-" he pointed his thumb at Reisi, "seems to think that the men who we captured were simply a means for Toshi to test out his devices against us,"

"You don't think so?"

Mikoto shrugged. "The strains who were researching the devices for us managed to find the answer as to how to stop the blood compounds from blocking the power of the strains,"

"Oh, they managed to figure it out at last?"

Reisi and Mikoto both nodded.

Reisi chose to speak now, "The answer came from how the devices themselves worked. It seems that it took quite a while to figure out how to convert the negative ions into positive ones for any strain power. It was a long, hard process but the researchers discovered it,"

Shiro frowned. He looked at Mikoto. "You think it was too easy, don't you?"

Mikoto nodded. "Toshi basically gave us everything: the devices, the compounds that blocked the strains' power, and the answer as to how to get past those compounds. Everything, _except_ information on himself. He made sure to keep those people dead before they could talk about it, whether it was through them killing themselves or through him finding a way to kill them-a which we know nothing about yet,"

"That's true. What do you think then, Red King?"

Mikoto sighed. "I think he's baiting us. I can't really say why he might,"

"Because he has the upper hand: he knows what he's doing and we only have a basic idea based on insufficient information," the Silver King added thoughtfully. He looked at Reisi now. "What do you think, Blue King?"

"Suoh may have a point but this all the information we have to work with right now. We need more,"

"And do you have any idea how?"

"Throw the carrot in front of the donkey," Mikoto muttered.

The other two kings looked at him. Mikoto scratched the back of his head and glanced at Reisi, "That is what you want to do, isn't it?"

"You mean you want to bait him instead?" Shiro asked carefully.

Reisi sighed. "I don't like the idea but I think we need to use a willing strain to get to him. If we can tempt him with that strain then maybe we can locate his whereabouts,"

"Then you must have a strain who is particularly a prize," Shiro stated.

"I have an idea about two," Reisi said and he actually sounded a bit nervous.

Shiro frowned. "You have an idea about one, Munakata, _only_ one," Mikoto almost growled.

Munakata adjusted his glasses. "It was just a thought, Suoh. I would not willing put a little girl in danger,"

"He wanted to use little Anna?" Shiro questioned Mikoto.

"I wasn't going to. I just put the idea out there. They wanted her so badly that they did not follow their regular course of strain abduction as they went after her while they were after speed types," Munakata argued.

"Ah, he's just upset that you even suggested her," Shiro told them both with a kind smile, hoping to reduce some of the tension between the two. It seemed that a threat to Anna was a very sore spot for the Red King. He did not know very much, only learned from bits and pieces of information from the Gold King that Mikoto Suoh was very protective of the little girl.

Well, Shiro found her to be quite adorable. Neko loved her very much too. The first time they had met her in the office of the building in Ashikana High School back in December, Neko had picked up the child and hugged her to her on her lap.

Anna hadn't minded. She did not show much on her face, but Shiro had gotten the impression that Anna had liked Neko very much too. Anna was a very sweet, considerate child.

"Although you probably shouldn't have suggested her in the first place," he added thoughtfully. Mikoto grunted in agreement.

"Tsk...it was just an idea. I wasn't going to,"

"You were drunk when you said it,"

"I was not drunk!" Munakata snapped.

Shiro looked at the two with interest. The usually cool headed Blue King looked like he was going to loose his temper while the Red King, rumored to be very bad tempered, seemed to be as cool as cucumber.

Mikoto looked at his fellow King. He smirked. "You reeked of alcohol, _Reisi_,"

Munakata tsked again. "I had one drink with a subordinate and it fell on me, alright?"

"You were clumsy, Munakata-san?" Shiro questioned with a bit of interest on his face.

"I was not clumsy. My subordinate's drink spilled on me," Munakata sounded particularly miffed that he could even suggest that he, the great Blue King could be _clumsy_.

"Oh, I see," Shiro said with a smile.

"Whatever you say, Munakata," Mikoto said and leaned back against the couch.

"I'm not the one with an odd relationship with a child," Munakata commented.

Shiro and Kuroh looked at each other, then at the other two. "Munakata-san, I believe that's a bit-"

"It's alright, Weissman. He's just upset that his subordinates don't care for him as much as mine do for me so he cannot understand such relationships," Mikoto cut him off.

"Hey...do those two hate each other?" Shiro whispered to Kuroh.

Kuroh looked at the two bickering men. "No, I think they are very stressed out and this is their way of getting rid off it,"

It was true: Mikoto had spent so much time with Munakata that he was sick of his face. While the two did respect each other, they often butt heads in investigations, mainly in the way they carried them out. A simple way to put it would be that when they caught up with a strain and they suspected that he/she was living in an apartment, Reisi would opt to knock on the door and have the person greet them.

Mikoto would knock the door down and search for the person.

They were more or less fed up of each others' attitudes and were so frustrated with each other and the entire situation that they would growl and snarl at each other when they had the opportunity to do so.

"Perhaps you both came here to be refreshed at the sight of my face?" Shiro asked the two with a big smile.

The two men looked at him as if he was an idiot.

Shiro chuckled. It was probably true in a way; they needed some refreshing advice...a change of face.

"Oh, you were suggesting that there was someone else you wanted to use as a potential carrot?" he directed his question at Munakata.

"Yes,"

"Who is it?"

Mikoto chose to answer. "Cat woman,"

Shiro and Kuroh looked at the two men. They blinked. "Wait, do you mean Neko?" Kuroh demanded.

Both Mikoto and Reisi remained silent, but that was enough to tell them that yes, Neko was indeed the other person.

Shiro, at that moment, was so glad that Neko had gone to Seneca. "That's out of the question," he stated, his voice coming out uncharacteristically hard. A memory came to his mind of long ago, when he held a young woman in his arms with hair as beautiful as his. However, that image changed to Neko's, with her beautiful light pink hair and more cat like features instead. No, he absolutely could not bear to loose Neko either.

"Told you he would say no," Mikoto stated.

"Oh shut up. It was only an idea. I didn't think he would agree either,"

"You were drunk when you said that too,"

Reisi actually looked like he wanted to pull out his sword and swipe at Mikoto.

"Now, now. Why don't you explain to me why you think my Neko is good bait?" Shiro suggested.

"We are developing a device of our own that would disable the ability of the blood compounds within a certain range, allowing the strains to use their power. We're making it very small and portable so that even a cat could carry it around. Neko, with her illusion ability, would be able to use it to allow her powers to work in the base wherever Toshi is conducting his experiments. If she infiltrates that facility for us, she could probably get information for us,"

"But that's not being bait," Kuroh commented.

"Well, that's if we actually find the facility. Right now we don't have a fixed location as to where Toshi could be so maybe we could draw him out of hiding by using her as bait,"

"And both those things are not at all optional. My Neko will remain safely where she is," Shiro said firmly and stood up.

"Well, I suspected you would say as much. Do you have any ideas though, on what could be done?" Munakata asked him.

Shiro stood up and walked to the window of the room. He gazed outside. "You said you don't have a fixed location on him?"

"No," Reisi replied.

"I've also been doing my share of work here as well. I've taken some of the systems from the Himmelreich and transferred it into one of your helicopters. I upgraded it and made it as sophisticated as possible. My work on it finished just today so it's ready for use. I just need that picture of Toshi to see if it can track him, together with anyone else who may be connected to him, based on the information you have gathered,"

"Done," Reisi told him.

"And I'm guessing that the next step will be an attack?" Shiro questioned.

"We may have no choice. If there's no bait, then there's no choice," Reisi stated.

Shiro turned to Mikoto. "What do you have to say to this?"

Mikoto shrugged. "Who knows what this guy is up to. Munakata and I will head a frontal attack to get him. We might need you though,"

* * *

Anna had listened to all that Natsume had explained to her concerning Shou Toshi and the decisions made by the Kings. Apparently her principal had received a report concerning the plans that Mikoto and Reisi had made. They were currently attempting to locate Toshi.

Anna herself was not feeling particularly well. She had had headaches all day long, and a great deal of nausea. She had felt as though all the onigiri she had eaten throughout the day was stuck in her throat. Certain smells made her woozy and the strangest things made her insides shudder.

"It will be soon that you will start menstruating," Natsume was telling her as she handed her a package of sanitary napkins. "Keep these just in case."

Anna accepted it. She had had to attend a session done by the school nurse for newcomers and she had been given the lesson on menstruation and sex all over again. She felt better about it now that she was amongst other females because it was so normal for them.

"I see that Neko has finally decided to spend a night," Natsume added as she pointed to the light pink cat that was sleeping on Anna's bed.

Anna nodded. It seemed that the cat had been a bit lonely for company and decided to come home with Anna after Aoi's.

"Well, I will leave you two. I have some work to get done," Natsume stated.

Neko slept beside Anna that night and Anna's dreams started off well enough with a memory if herself, Totsuka and Mikoto.

"_King, why do you look miserable?" Totsuka asked when he and Anna entered the bar after an outing that day. _

_Mikoto was leaning on against the couch, sitting upright with a disgruntled expression on. Mikoto merely grunted at him in response. _

_Totsuka frowned as he moved from Anna's side to the king. "Something happened?" Totsuka pressed. _

"_Cigarettes," Anna said softly. _

_The two men glanced at her. Totsuka turned his attention to Mikoto; she was right, there was no cigarettes around Mikoto, not a whiff of smoke coming from him. _

_Totsuka grinned. "You ran out of cigarettes and Kusanagi-san went to get more, huh?"_

_Mikoto grunted again in response and turned away. _

_Anna pitied Mikoto. As dangerous as cigarettes probably were, they did ease him somewhat whenever he had one. _

_She had some roses in her hand that Totsuka had bought for her when he had found her gazing at them. "You like those, Anna?"_

_She had nodded. _

_Without further questions, he bought three for her. They were long stemmed and very pretty. They were probably the type a guy would buy for his girlfriend, but Anna simply loved their red color. She moved to Mikoto. _

_He glanced at her when he saw that her attention was on him. _

_Anna took one of the roses and handed it to him. He automatically accepted it. "What?" he asked, looking at the rose with bemusement. _

_Anna with a point blank face answered, "It's red...and pretty...like Mikoto,"_

_Then, she hurried away, almost tripping over herself, but regaining her balance. She heard as she went, Totsuka saying, "Isn't Anna cute? She wanted to cheer you up,"_

_Anna later learned that Totsuka had put the rose in a glass with some water and had left it near Mikoto who had seemed to be in a somewhat better mood until he finally got his cigarettes._

* * *

But as Anna dreamed on, her dreams became nightmares and the scary thing was that those nightmares were going to come true; she had a vision of destruction.

_She could see everything as though looking through a glass window, or perhaps a television even where one could view everyone's actions and interactions. _

_She saw the members of her clan rush in and break down the door to an old abandoned house and run through its corridors until they came to the basement which was actually an underground lab with two stories. _

_There was a large machine in that room that was hooked up to several computers. Toshi was laughing like a madman and he pressed down a switch as soon as Mikoto entered. The machine which was shaped like a cannon and pointed at her clansmen. It sought to fire at them, but Mikoto's red aura lashed out to protect them. _

_However, once Mikoto's presence was known, Toshi activated another machine that seemed to form a barrier around the Red Clansmen. This machine was shaped like a cone and from it, a green laser like light was emitted that formed the barrier into a box like shape around them._

_The barrier was closing in around them, and it seemed that no matter how hard they tried, they could not break out of the forcefield that would crush them. _

_Mikoto started to release high energy levels, to the point of where his Sword of Damocles appeared and once he released enough, he broke the barrier...but he had pushed his Weissman limit too much. Letting out too much energy in an attempt to save his comrades made him drunk on his power. Anna could feel it, an unbelievable thirst in him to crush, burn and destroy. He attacked Toshi first and burned him to a crisp. _

_The Blue Clan entered and saw what was going on, followed by the Silver King. Munakata Reisi grabbed on to Mikoto to stop him, but they couldn't. He was too strong. The Silver King came at him: they had no choice, they had to kill Mikoto because his power was out of control._

_Of course, the Red Clansmen did not want that and began to fight the other clan to defend their King. _

_And it became too late..._

_Mikoto's Sword of Damocles, still sensitive to corruption since the last time he had nearly died...began to fall. Its fall would mean the end of three clans, including her own...including her Mikoto._

_Anna watched as it began to fall..._

* * *

Neko, meanwhile, was having a most pleasant dream about how she got her silver bell:

"_Neko," came Shiro's voice. _

_Neko turned around to see her beloved King standing behind her with her smile on his face. He was back in his original body and was quite handsome. Neko loved to especially play with his hair. Sometimes she would just pounce on his back and hug him tightly about the neck so that she could rub her cheeks into his soft, silky long hair and purr. Shiro never seemed to mind and let her do as she liked. _

_Shiro was walking toward her. "What is it, Shiro?" she asked, smiling beautifully at him. He lifted a hand and opened it. _

"_This is for you," he said and on his hand lay a small bell, almost identical to the gold one she wore on, only this one was silver. _

_Neko's cheeks reddened. She looked up at Shiro, much taller now than she was. "For me?"_

_Shiro smiled assuringly. "Yes, for you. You're my clansman now, aren't you? I thought a silver bell might be more fitting for you,"_

_Neko's cheeks grew redder at his words. She was touched by them and allowed his hands to reach and gently remove her gold bell, and replace it with the silver one. When she drew back his hands, Neko lunged at him and hugged him tightly. _

"_Thank you Shiro!" she exclaimed, then hurried away to find a mirror. She loved the way it looked on her for it signified that she belonged to Shiro._

_She turned away and ran back to him, jumping into his arms and hugging him tightly. This body of his was stronger than the school boy's he had had previously, and much taller too but he was still her Shiro, and now, she was officially his. _

"NEKO!" Anna's voice echoed through her mind and the cat's eyes sprang open to see the panicked eyes of Anna Kushina.

* * *

_A/N: Anna had a vision, so no, no one's dead...yet _

_I apologize if this chapter seemed a bit rushed and a bit of a rough plot. I will explain more on Anna's vision in the next chapter. I had wanted to be a bit more detailed with Neko in this chapter...but I'm feeling a bit sick and I don't think that I am really in a frame of mind to do her character justice, but I hope you liked her little flashback with the bell. I will explain more later on, on what Shiro's issue is (why he's pining away like an old man and staring at pictures all the time) and probably give a full scene of Neko's interaction with him before she left for Seneca._

_Also, for anyone who has read K:Side Red, or any of the translations for it, I apologize if you found that Toshi was a knock off of the bad guy (I can't really remember his name) who wanted to make Anna the Blue King. I already had Toshi planned out before I actually came across these translations, and all I had really known from K Side Red was what I had mentioned in an author's note before the start of chapter 6. So, it wasn't really my intention to make him anything like that guy so I'm sorry if he seems to be that way._

_(I may touch up this chapter when I feel better, if I think it's necessary)_

_For all those who reviewed, thank you so much. I appreciated them all:_

_Shiary: I had more Neko in this chap...hope you enjoyed it :)_

_Nevertheless: Hm...Anna herself definitely wants to see Mikoto again soon! ;)_

_AvaEobane: I hope you liked Neko in this chap, despite how depressed she is all the time :/_

_Indochine: Always glad to hear from you! Thanks for the review :)_

_Bree Renee: I'm so glad you're doing better! And thanks for the congrats :)_

_Guest: Hahaha he is very vain isn't he? Glad you liked the chapter with the flashbacks :)_

_FireRaven99: Thanks for the review. There should be more Neko to come :)_

_ladeste: Thanks so much for your review :)_

_nannerlovessnickers: Hey, thanks so much for your lovely words :)_

_D: I kind of explained it in a past chapter that based on their powers, and their deep bond, they could meet each other in dreams. I made an assumption that they might be able to do so because in Episode 6 of the anime, when she said 'Mikoto, don't go', Mikoto was dreaming and they never showed Anna saying that to him real life. I assumed that she must have somehow reached into his dreams to tell him that. It makes me sad too that she has to grow up in this story, but I still look forward to writing it, and hope you continue to enjoy reading it :)_

_dragon's nest: It's great to hear from you again! Glad you're back and thanks for your wonderful words :)_

_Ihadyprilla: Thanks so much for pointing that out! Sometimes I just don't any errors although I may check the document ten times before updating! I'm really glad you like Kei and Akemi :)_

_Ambivalencia: School school school! Blah...I don't want to go to school :( But school is important! Anyway, I'm glad you were able to read this chapter. How was school for you anyway? Did you mean that you thought Mikoto was OOC in the last chapter? I didn't really think he was, based on the context of the situations he was in (I actually thought he was more in-character)__. Thanks for the review anyway! Oh yeah, and I did read it, thanks for asking :)_

_**Thank you all so much, I really appreciated all your reviews, they meant so much to me. I'm not pleased too much with this chapter, but I hope you liked it still. I apologize about the lack of Anna/Mikoto fluff. A big thank you also to all those who favorite and follow this story. I love you all. **_

_**God bless. **_

_**Let me know your thoughts on this chapter!**_

_**P.S. Someone else on tumblr is translating bits of K:SIDE RED into english. The name of the person's tumblr is 'Trashbunny', so you can probably google 'Trashbunny K Side Red'. A big thank you to this person!**_


	22. Reunion

**_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._**

**_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._**

**_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._**

* * *

**_For all those who reviewed the last chapter, thanks so much:_**

_Indochine: Well, Izumo is definitely one of the 'brothers'. I never really gave much thought as to who should be the next one, but logically, the next one should be Mikoto, right? I'm not quite sure as yet..Well, you'll know if I pull a Gora on you depending on how this chapter goes ;)_

_Bree Renee: Glad you liked this chapter, and that's alright about any extra letters etc. you had...I understand and I understood everything you wrote too :)_

_Shiary: Hope you got through with the manga site, and you enjoyed the chapters :)_

_nannerlovessnickers: So glad you loved the last chapter! Hope you like this one too :)_

_XxXxSayuri-chanxXxX: I'm just happy to hear that you like the story! Well, the reason why I am able to update so quickly and on a daily basis is because I tend to do things quickly, especially if I really enjoy doing it. Also, when people review and let me know that they're enjoying it, it further motivates me. I also had a long break for the holidays with basically nothing to do, so I just filled my time with creating my very first fanfiction :) But I am so happy to hear from you!By the way, it is actually pure coincidence that he has the same name and similar character as Kei Takashima. I actually watched S.A. about two years ago (probably just two episodes though) and I really can't remember it so it's really coincidence. The only OC I modeled after anyone was Natsume who is based on Tsunade from Naruto. Hope to hear from you again, God bless :)_

_Ambivalencia: Aww...I hope you feel better! I haven't had a proper meal lately and I'm lethargic and sleepy all the time with headaches...not a nice feeling, but I'm much better today :) But do you like being competitive like that at school? About Mikoto being a bit silent and cold-shouldered toward Anna...I honestly don't think he would give her the cold shoulder. Underneath his exterior, he is a very caring person. I think in the canon, he probably wouldn't speak to her casually unless it's necessary because he doesn't strike me as a big conversationalist. In this story, it's similar, but he would have more to say to her now as their relationship is growing. That's why in the flashbacks you don't see him being so affectionate with her as opposed to later on when he's willing to hug and cuddle her etc. _

_FireRaven99: You really love Kuroh, huh? I do have some drabble ideas for him, Shiro and Neko but because this story is focused on the Red Clan, I'm not really sure when to include it in here. But I will try :)_

_annashina: I guess this chapter should either build your hopes or dash them ;) _

_lasdeste: I'm glad you liked the chapter :)_

_Ihadyprilla: Thanks for your lovely words, we will have to see how things move along for everyone...depending on whether Mikoto lives or dies in this chapter ***evil grin* **:p_

_creativeactivesrs: Well, we'll see how things go along. Hope you enjoy this chapter :)_

_TheRoseShadow21: Was it you who had an exam on the 10th? How was it? Well, about Shiro, Neko did explain in a previous chapter that Shiro let her come to Seneca for her protection after the Himmelreich was attacked, and that she had made the decision on her own, but he didn't stop her although it meant that she would be leaving his side. _

_A big thank you also to all those who follow and favorite this story. I appreciate you all, and I love you all._

* * *

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 22-Reunion

"Anna, what's wrong?!" Neko asked, surprised to see the usually expressionless girl looking so afraid.

"Neko, we have to go!" Anna said and grabbed her arm, pulling her from the bed.

Neko frowned. "What? Why?" she demanded, and let herself be dragged away.

"Our Kings are in trouble! We have to go now!"

"What do you mean that they're in trouble?" Neko demanded, becoming alarmed at the thought that she could loose her Shiro.

"I had a vision. There's no time to explain, we have to get to Natsume!" Anna told her and ran to the door. Anna was still in a white, long sleeved night dress with frilly ends.

Neko was naked.

They hurried to her bedroom and knocked on the door. After a minute of pounding, no one came. "Yuki-chan! Yuki-chan!" Neko cried out desperately. That feeling of anxiety, the misery that she might have lost her Shiro from December of the year before was coming back to the cat. She loved her Shiro too much!

She needed him.

Anna put a small hand on her elbow, stopping her. Then, she pushed the door open. The room was empty and dark. No one was there.

The two girls looked at each other. The door of the room next door opened and Ryosuke emerged. "Huh? What are you two doing?" he asked. Then at the sight of Neko, he reddened and turned away. "Put some clothes on!"

Anna hurried to his side. "Ryosuke-san! Where's Natsume-san?" she asked him.

"She and my dad had to leave on some business," Ryosuke answered. His eyes did not meet hers and she knew then and there where they had gone.

"They're helping the other clans with the Rise, aren't they? They found Toshi's location," Anna stated.

Ryosuke nodded reluctantly. "Yes. Anna, we were given specific orders from Mikoto-san himself; you are not leave Seneca for any reason of any sort. You will remain here, guarded and safe until he himself feels that it is safe for you to leave,"

"Ryosuke-san, please you must listen! Everyone is in danger! I had a vision-!"

Ryosuke cut in, "I cannot disobey Mikoto-san! His order is absolute!" he snapped.

"But he could die!" Anna cried out and grabbed the front of his sleeping shirt. "The Silver King and the Blue King too!"

Ryosuke gently pushed her little hands away. "I'm sorry, Anna. I cannot disobey him. Neither can any of the guards at school; they were instructed to keep you here, even if it was against your will unless he ordered them to let you go,"

Anna almost cursed at Mikoto and his overprotectiveness of her.

"Shiro is in trouble too?" Neko demanded, suddenly afraid.

Anna nodded.

Neko turned to Ryosuke. She looked him straight in the eye as if giving him a deep, penetrating look.

Ryosuke was suddenly surrounded by bright colors and the sound of a, 'Nyaa!' echoed in his mind. His eyes closed and he crumbled to the ground. Anna looked at her friend. "What did you do?"

"I changed his memory a little bit. Anna, you know what you're doing, right?"

Anna nodded.

Neko's expression was filled with worry. "When he wakes up, he will listen to whatever you say. I can't do this for long, so we need to hurry,"

Anna nodded and Ryosuke opened his eyes.

* * *

"Ryosuke-san? Is it alright for you to leave?" the guard at the gate asked. Ryosuke was in the driver's seat of his sports car. It seemed that Neko had made him think that he had to obey every command of Anna, and not the Red King's.

"The Red King sent a request to me. I've asked Aoi and the cat woman to stay with her,"

The guard nodded and opened the gate for him. Slowly, it drew open and as soon as it did, Ryosuke stepped on the accelerator and sped off.

Neko had cast an illusion over herself and Anna in the backseat of the car while Anna had a wooden slat on her lap. She removed the illusion once they were away from the school.

On the slat was a map of Shizume City and on that map, her red marbles were moving. Thankfully, the road was smooth so they did not hit any bumps or skids that would throw the marbles off and cut her concentration.

She was trying to locate Mikoto and the others. She had an idea of where they were heading from her vision. It seemed to be in a westerly direction toward the sea which was somewhat of a mid point between Seneca and Homra bar, only it was in the direction of the coastline.

Anna had tried to contact Mikoto using her power, but she could not establish a connection with him because his mind was too caught up with the issue with the Rise for her to get a proper mental link with him. She also dared not risk using the mobile Natsume had given to her from Izumo because she was quite sure that the members of Rise were trying to tap the phones of the Red Clan. Anna could not risk anyone finding out what they were doing.

The marbles on the map on her lap stopped around the area she suspected and she instructed Ryosuke to go there. Anna was feeling extremely nauseous but she put her sense of illness behind her because of what was happening right now; there were many lives that were at stake, each life was important.

"Anna, what did you see?" Neko asked her warily. The cat had sensed the anxiety in the other child and had been wise enough to keep her usual over-excited ways to herself.

"The man who is the leader of the Rise has a new device," Anna explained, recalling the device that had been aimed at her clansmen in her vision. "It creates a certain barrier that can contain the power of a King. I think that Toshi is just using that as an experiment because he has never tried it out on a King, but I think he did try it on the clansmen of other clans before. I saw Mikoto overuse his powers to overcome the barrier. Toshi has his own means of escape in case things go wrong, but he does not understand that Mikoto's Sword of Damocles could drop if he pushes his power too much," Anna explained.

Neko frowned. "That's dangerous?"

Anna nodded. "If Mikoto pushes it too much then he can become drunk with his own power and wreak destruction until he pushes past his limit too much. Then his sword will fall and release enough energy to destroy everything and everyone in a large area,"

Neko gulped. "Is that...is that what Anna saw?"

Anna looked at her with serious eyes. "Yes. The Blue King and his clansmen, my king and my clan and...yours as well, Neko,"

"Nooo! That can't happen!" Neko cried out. She turned to Ryosuke. "Go faster!"

* * *

Anna seemed to have a calm face on, but she was very worried. The vision of destruction she had seen had been one of the most disturbing ones she had ever come across. To watch everyone she knew and loved die was not a lovely experience at all...

By the time they got to the place, it seemed that the Red Clan had already gotten there, judging from the big hole in the wall at the side of the abandoned building that was still smoking.

Mikoto and the others would be arriving in the room with Toshi soon, but Anna and Neko did not have the time to stop Mikoto; they had to stop the machine itself at the root and that was why they needed to go down to the same underground level as Mikoto and the others had gone, but to a different room.

In Anna's vision, the room had been very large and filled with tables of computers where several researchers had been working like busy bees on them to monitor and push the power of the machine that created the barrier. Toshi had created the machine but these scientists had been taught how to monitor and control its power levels.

Anna and Neko climbed out of the vehicle. Ryosuke seemed to be unconscious after the power Neko had used on him.

At the same time, Scepter 4 vehicles drew up.

They just needed to delay them long enough to grab the strain that they had brought with them and seize the device they had developed that would allow it to use its power and overcome the blockage of it by the blood compounds.

There would be no time to explain and neither Neko nor Anna trusted the Blue Clan very. So, Anna used her red marbles and pinpointed the vehicle which had the strain. Immediately, Neko cast an illusion over all the members of Scepter 4 and the two females grabbed the strain when he came out from the vehicle.

It was a young man, and Anna saw that he had the power to command some sort of lightning. Neko's illusion was a city of people with tall buildings and trees so she and Anna had ducked behind everyone and grabbed the strain. Neko used her power to knock him out, steal the device and then the two ran off into the building.

* * *

"Shiro!" Kuroh gasped his King's name at the sight of the two females who had entered the building on the screen of the computer.

Shiro and Kuroh were in the helicopter that they had installed the new computers in that had tracked Toshi down here. The plan had been for the Red Clan to go in first and try to get a hold of Toshi. The Blue Clan would go in next with the strain which had a new device that stopped the blood compounds from blocking its power. It was really to test how well the device worked. Shiro and Kuroh would monitor everything from the helicopter above and would come down to help if they saw that it was required.

"What in the world are those two thinking?!" Shiro demanded and ordered Kuroh to land. With his gravitational power, he opened the door of the helicopter and stepped out, slowly gliding downward to where the Blue Clan was.

"Weissman, isn't this your clansman's illusion?" Munakata demanded as he built his aura around him and immediately dispelled the illusion.

"Yes. I don't know what's going on, but I do know that we need to get moving," Shiro told him and they hurried into the building as well.

* * *

The device was as big as Neko's palm. Anna, in her vision had seen how the strain had used it; there was a switch to the side which she quickly activated as they moved to the door where there was the room full of scientists who were manning the controls of the huge cone shaped machine that was pointed at Mikoto, creating the barrier around him already.

They had to hurry!

They needed this small device in order for them to use their powers on the scientists who may have already been injected with the blood compounds. As soon as they shoved open the door, Neko used her power in a way that she had never used it before; she began to distort their memories while Anna pulled out her marbles. She had them all float in the air and move around the scientists. She peered through each one as she walked in a circle, feeling what their thoughts and digging through their minds to bring that knowledge they had of operating the machine to the front of their minds.

Then Anna turned to Neko, and using her power to do something she rarely ever did, she synced her mind with Neko's and allowed her to be given insight and access to the wide range of knowledge and then, Neko used her power to distort their memories and make them go back their control boards and reverse the power of the machine.

It was not easy for Neko to do on her own because she had already used her power on Ryosuke and the Blue Clan. There was also too many scientists. Anna, by acting as a medium for her to gain access to their minds actually made it much easier for Neko because she did not have to use as much of her power.

* * *

Mikoto was staring at the face of Shou Toshi.

"You all did well to find me, Red King, but you must know that the strains were merely instruments to further my research. My next research goal is to learn all I can about the Kings," Toshi informed him with a sick grin.

Mikoto and his clansmen were in a barrier formed by the cone shaped machine. It was box shaped and seemed to be closing in around them. Yata reached out with the handle of his bat and touched the forcefield. Immediately, the edge of the bat was zapped as if with electricity and when Yata drew it back, he was disturbed to see that it was blackened and smoking.

"Mikoto-san, if we don't get out of here, we're going to get fried!" Yata exclaimed.

Mikoto nodded and began to exert his energy levels to break the barrier.

Anna gripped the edge of table she was holding onto as she pushed herself to keep her mind synced with Neko as the researchers to reverse the process.

"Something's happening! The barrier is receding and fading away!" Izumo gasped. They watched as the forcefield moved back and began to slowly dissipate.

"No! What the hell is going on here?!" Toshi snarled.

* * *

Anna was close to blacking out, but she hung on by a thin thread. Just a little more...

* * *

The barrier completely faded around the members of the Red Clan. Mikoto therefore did not loose to his power and become engulfed in that desire to destroy. Before them, Toshi looked on, enraged because someone had somehow overcome his beautiful project, his amazing device!

"This is all wrong!" he snarled. It was a blow to his ego and his narcissistic mind was experiencing some mental confusion as to how this could have possibly happened.

* * *

Anna and Neko fell to the ground, exhausted. Around them, the scientists blacked out because of the impact on their mind that had been somewhat controlled by two strains.

"Neko!" came the voice of a familiar person. The cat looked up, and to her relief, she saw her beloved Shiro, in all his magnificent glory, standing there. He was dressed in his usual white shirt with the ruffled material to the front with dark pants and a matching trench coat. He pulled off his coat and stooped near to her and covered her with it to hide her nudity.

* * *

_As a king, he still did not care to carry out any duties as a king or to have anymore clansmen. Kuroh and Neko were more than enough for him. He always kept a keen eye on them from his ship whenever they went running around in the city._

_Sometimes from the computers on the ship, they could spot crime occurring and would respond to it and save the victims. _

_But Shiro still would not leave his ship. _

_Neko had liked it when they had all run around together in the city, both when they had been running with Kuroh and away from him. They used to have such fun!_

_Neko had complained about his absence on the ground one day._

"_Shiro, why don't you come with us tomorrow?" she asked him as he sat on his favorite armchair on the Himmelreich._

_Shiro gave her a kind smile and touched his head. "My hair will get in the way. See how long it is?"_

_Neko, naked in human form, somehow suddenly had a pair of scissors in her hand. With an angry cat-like face on, she pounced at him._

"_Then I'll cut it off!"_

"_Aaah! No Neko!" he cried out and jumped out from his chair. _

_She landed in the empty space of his chair and sat on her legs the way a cat sat on its hind legs._

"_Stop being so stubborn, Shiro!" she snapped and lifted the scissors up. She made a cutting motion with him and the mighty King looked a bit mortified. _

"_It took me forever to get my hair so long and pretty! I can't chop it all off!" Shiro told her._

_Kuroh came it at that moment. "How long does it take you to shampoo it?" he asked curiously. He himself had lovely long hair, but it was nowhere as thick as Shiro's. _

"_I shampoo it five times, once for each foot of hair and then I make sure to condition it twice as much to keep it soft," Shiro replied._

_He had on his innocent 'Shiro-smile', making the others wonder if he was joking or being serious. "You should really come out with us," Kuroh told him as he took away Neko's scissors._

"_I don't really want to go,"_

_Kuroh sighed, giving up. He had been down this road long enough with his king. So, he bid him goodbye and went to the back of the ship to get ready to go. _

_Neko gave Shiro an angry look. "Make sure to put some clothes on," he told her._

"_I won't," she stated._

_Shiro became more serious then. "Neko, I'm not comfortable with you going around without clothes,"_

_This was one of the things she couldn't get away with. A__lthough Shiro was now taller and much stronger and she knew that he was still her Shiro but despite that, she had become occasionally wary of him when he got more serious. _

_And he was much more adamant when it came to her wearing clothing. _

"_If you come along, then I will put on some," Neko tried to persuade him despite her unease._

_Shiro smiled at her attempts at coaxing him, making her feel at ease again. "Neko, you know I won't come,"_

_Neko stood up and walked away. She grabbed a coat that was lying on a nearby chair. _

"_Neko?" Shiro said her name, uncertain._

_She shot him back an angry look and disappeared to the back of the ship with Kuroh from where they would use a helicopter that Shiro kept in the ship to go back down to the ground._

_It was not exactly his desire to remain on the ship that bothered Neko. It was the picture of the woman he kept looking at. It was a small picture but wherever he was around, the framed image would be around._

_He had once told her that it was his sister. His sister resembled Neko and Adolf's desire to stay cooped up in the ship with that picture often made her feel that she was just a replacement for his sibling._

_That hurt so much, because she loved him so._

_After all, she considered him to be her Shiro. _

_Life had continued like that for them for a while. Shiro never commented on how Neko stopped hugging him and clinging to him, although he did sometimes ask why she was sad. _

"_I'm not sad," she told him one day._

"_But Neko has a miserable look on her face," Shiro told her and lightly touched the tip of her nose with his index finger._

_How do you tell a man with a dead sister complex that you were jealous? Even Neko, for how lively and child-like she was, could not bring herself to say that. The last time she had mentioned anything about the sister, her Shiro had immediately turned into serious Adolf and she knew that he did not want to speak about his beloved sister. _

_'Why can't look at me and see me for me? I'm always at your side, not her' she wanted to tell him. Instead she stated, "Shiro's hair is prettier than Neko's. How upsetting!"_

_Shiro chuckled and patted her head lightly. "But Neko is much prettier than I am!"_

_Neko blushed at his words. "You think so, Shiro?"_

"_Yes, I do,"_

_He smiled kindly at her, cheering her up. Delightedly, she lunged at him and gave him a hug. She was significantly shorter than him now that he was back in his real body, but she knew it was still him. His arms came around her and tightened. _

"_I missed your hugs, Neko," he told her._

"_I missed hugging you," she said to him and proceeded to fiddle with the ruffled layers of his shirt. She relished being against him, in his arms, feeling his body heat. _

_Suddenly, someone cleared their throat. They turned to see Kuroh there. "Neko, it's time to go," Kuroh told her. _

_Neko turned to Shiro. "Will you come?"_

_He withdrew himself from her slowly, and walked over to the desk where the picture of his sister was. _

"_No,"_

_Neko looked sad for a moment, then her face became a hissing cat's. "Why don't you ever want to come?!" she demanded._

_Shiro merely smiled cheerfully. "Because it's peaceful here,"_

_Neko was about to pick up his chair and pelt him with it, but Kuroh grabbed her in time. "Stop it Neko! You know he won't come! Why do you continuously bother him?!" Kuroh asked as he restrained her._

_Neko went limp as sorrow washed over her. She looked at Shiro who was surprised to see her expression._

"_Because I want him to be happy,"_

_Then, she turned and walked ahead of Kuroh, ignoring the two men._

* * *

_They had been informed by the Gold King that the Rise had begun to attack illusion-type strains such as Neko. Shiro had informed her that she would have to stay in the Himmelreich and not go back down to the ground until it was safer for her. Neko had not liked that. Ever since that incident when she had lost her temper and wanted to hit him with a chair, she had avoided him as much as possible and remained sullen and quiet most of the time for she was so angry with him._

_Shiro noted her behavior and tried to get her talk a few times, but she had simple snapped at him. Now, she positively glared at him._

"_I will go when I want to," she stated coldly at the man she loved so much as she sat in an armchair, munching on a rice cracker._

_Shiro, standing tall before her, were shocked at her utter defiance. He had become confused by her attitude lately and could not understand it. He felt anger in him grow like it hadn't before because he was so sick of this Neko sitting before him. She was nothing like the lovely, cheerful person who used to brighten up his life. _

_Damn it, even he had his limits!_

_Neko was about to take a huge bit of her rice cracker. However, it was suddenly slapped away from her hands violently. _

_Neko gasped and looked up, staring at the enraged face of her beloved Shiro. _

_He reached down and grabbed her upper arms, yanking her to her feet. "I don't care if you like it or not, Neko! You will remain here until I say you can go, even if I have to lock you up and throw away the key!" he shouted. _

_Neko gazed up at the angry face, shocked, bewildered. _

_Shiro let her go and turned away, clenching his fist tightly. "You are my clansman," he said on a more even tone. "I am your king. My order is absolute and you **will** obey me."_

_He looked at her from over his shoulder. His eyes were narrowed, his gaze piercing and cold. "Won't you?"_

_Neko nodded quickly, too frightened to do or say anything. Perhaps it was the blatant shock and fear on her face that made his anger melt away, only to be replaced by guilt. He turned to her fully and reached out and pulled her trembling body into his arms. _

"_Neko, I'm sorry," he whispered to her. _

_Neko gripped the front of his shirt as she felt tears come to her eyes. She tried to hold them back, but she could not. Shiro had shouted at her. _

_He was angry with her. _

_She was so shocked that she didn't know what else to do except cry._

_But Shiro hugged her and offered her comfort because he was so ashamed of himself for acting like that with his precious Neko. _

_After that, they had come to something of a truce. Neko was less cold with him, somewhat wary and a little more quiet. Shiro had felt that he had shredded the trust she had had in him in less than two minutes and tried his best to be normal so that things could get back as it used to be between them. _

_And it had somewhat. Gradually, she began to have her old cheer again but she was still lacking some of her former enthusiasm. _

_Still, it was something and he hoped that they could talk about everything seriously someday but he felt that perhaps, now was not the time. _

_He would still look at his sister's picture everyday. _

_Then, one day, the Himmelreich was attacked by several helicopters flying in the air. The first attack by a rocket had rocked the ship and Neko, in the same room with Shiro, had changed into her cat form and run over to him. _

_He took her in his arms and held her. "It's alright Neko, I'm here," he comforted her. _

_A second attack assaulted the ship and Kuroh came running. He cursed and ran to the ship's controls. _

_Thankfully, Scepter 4 intervened in time and their presence, particularly that of Munakata Reisi's, chased them off. From there, Shiro immediately knew that he had to seek shelter from the Gold King and perhaps find a safer location for Neko. _

_After the issues with other strains selling out other strains for money to the Rise, Shiro did not want Neko to be anywhere away from his side. The Gold King had been the one to suggest the school to Neko and he had said it to the both of them. The idea had come to him because he found that Neko's presence seemed to hinder Shiro from doing any work. _

"_The Red King managed to get somewhere safe for his strain," _

"_Do you think it's possible Neko could go there too?" Shiro asked. _

"_I will see what I can do," the Gold King told him._

_As the old man had left the room, Neko turned to Shiro. "Do you want me to go?" she asked him quietly. Their relationship seemed to be hanging by a thread. Since the attacks, they had not sorted out their problems; he had no idea about what it was he was doing to upset her, and he wouldn't talk about his sister while she refused to say anything because he wouldn't talk about it. _

_It was like a no-win situation. _

"_It's your decision to make," Shiro told her. _

_Neko narrowed her eyes. Couldn't he just tell her that he wanted her with him? That he was happy to have her at his side. But then she remembered the picture he always stared at. _

_No, she decided, he doesn't need me here. I'm only a replacement for his sister. He wouldn't see me as I am, and he wouldn't love me as a woman. _

_She decided that she would tell him that she would go. If he really and truly did not stop her, then it would confirm her suspicions about him thinking of her as a mere replacement if it was so easy for him to have her removed from his side. _

"_I will go," she said to him. _

_He hadn't even looked surprised at her words. "Alright,"_

_She hesitated before speaking again. "Are you alright with this?"_

"_Yes, it's what you want isn't it? Let me contact my old friend and let him know your decision,"_

_And so Shiro had done and ignored her. When she left to go, she only told Kuroh that she was going and said nothing to him because he was locked up in his office again, probably watching that picture of his sister again. _

Now, Neko lay in his arms, covered with his coat that was still warm with his scent and body heat. She seemed to be close to fainting away and he was very worried.

"Neko, why? What were you doing?" he demanded of her, upset with her for endangering herself so. He had replayed all the incidents over the last few months in his mind in a matter of moments and it was only then, he came to realize that he had been ignoring Neko and all she had wanted from him was to smile, laugh and have fun with her.

She had only wanted the best for him because she cared for him so.

Meanwhile, he had been sitting up in his ship seemingly wallowing in self-pity for many months. Sometimes it took a crisis for people to think, and he realized then and there how much of an idiot he had been. Shiro was ashamed of himself, and swore that he would work things out with his Neko.

Kuroh had come in behind him and was at Anna's side.

"Are you alright?" he asked the little girl.

Anna, weak and exhausted from her power use, struggled to sit up.

Munakata entered the room. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Toshi..." Anna stated weakly. She was feeling so _sick_. "He has explosives in the other room to distract you and a vehicle to the back of the building that he will use to escape in. Stop him."

Munakata asked no questions. He pulled out his phone and hurried away as he made some calls, sending out orders to his men.

"How did you know?" Kuroh asked her.

"Please...don't be angry at Neko," she whispered to him. She looked at Shiro who was now looking at her. Neko had passed out in his arms. "I had her come here...it's my fault she got like this. I'm sorry,"

"Is that so?" came a new, very familiar voice. That voice was deceptively soft.

Anna looked up to see a familiar figure walking slowly through the doorway. There was a lot of noise coming from the Blue Clan who were running up and down, giving instructions, barking orders outside the room. Some were filing into the room to get a hold of the knocked out scientists.

Yet, Anna heard every resounding thud of Mikoto's boots as he stepped inside, followed by his clansmen.

Izumo, Kamamoto, Yata, Chitose, Dewa, Eric, Shohei, Bando and Fujishima could not hide their shock at the sight of their little princess who they had not seen in nearly two months, lying on the ground, leaning her forearms, wearing on a white nightdress while being freaking barefooted with her long, long silvery white hair loose and falling around her, looking utterly exhausted.

Mikoto looked the same as ever. His lithe form was clad in blue jeans with a chain attacked to the side. He had on a white t-shirt and between his lips was a cigarette. To a normal person, Mikoto probably looked calm.

But Anna could see his eyes were narrowed and the red in him...was that violent kind of red that indicated that he was damned well pissed off at her for deliberately being in danger.

Mikoto had never given Anna a reason to fear him, but right now, the fact that his anger was directed at her was making her shiver inside.

* * *

_A/N: Mikoto is still alive! I love him too much to kill him off and he and the rest of the clan have been reunited with Anna!_

_But he's angry at Anna. _

_Anyway, please let me know what you thought of this chapter._

_I apologize if Neko wasn't as hyper as she is in the anime. I paid more attention to Anna and Mikoto than anyone else in the anime because I love them so much, but I didn't really bother too much with Neko, Shiro and Kuroh. But I hope I did them justice in this chapter, based on the context of the situations particularly with Shiro and Neko. There's still more stuff on them to come. _

_Thanks again for all the reviews, follows and favorites, I truly appreciate them. All of you who review keep me motivated to keep on writing. Thanks so much. I love you all. _

_God bless :)_


	23. Home Again, Gone Again

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 23: Home Again, Gone Again

Throughout the entire ordeal with the Rise, Mikoto had been glad that he had sent Anna away to keep her safe and protected. He had seen strains sell out each other for something as materialistic as money and he had come upon strains who had been abused for their power by the Rise. Anna herself had been used badly for her power before joining Homra, and Mikoto had felt relieved that she was tucked away in Seneca, and away from all the dangers and threats posed to her by the Rise.

She would be able to learn new things and be amongst other people and grow into the person that _she_ wanted to be and not one based on the rough and tumble standards of the streetgang-like Homra.

While trapped like rats in that box, Toshi had egged Mikoto on to push the limits of his power when he blatantly stated, "If you don't free yourself from here and come after me, I'll go after that little girl you preciously protect! Anna Kushina!"

Mikoto's power had been about to go berserk at that moment. However, the forcefield began to recede and fade away.

"No! This isn't supposed to happen!" Toshi had shouted. "You're supposed to use your power, push your levels and limits so that I could learn how to harness it!"

Scepter 4 came in at the same time, but was not led by Munakata. His second, Awashima Seri, was barking out orders. Once Mikoto was out of the forcefield, he was about to go after Toshi himself but a heavy hand was placed on his shoulder, stopping him. There stood Munakata Reisi.

"What?" Mikoto demanded, irritated to see the face he was so fed up of seeing.

"There's someone in the other room you should see,"

And then he sensed it. The familiarity that he felt with the presence of a member of his clan. This one was _very_ familiar and he turned around, heading in the opposite direction of Toshi and toward the other room with his clan following behind him as he realized that it was Anna who Munakata was referring to. He became worried because this was _not_ somewhere where Anna should be. In fact, it was the last place she ought to be.

Mikoto suspected that perhaps she had been abducted without anyone knowing because as far as he knew, Haru and Yuki Natsume were at the Gold King's headquarters, awaiting their return. Anna was supposed to be safe with their son; Ryosuke, and from what he had learned, the Silver King's cat woman was with her too. There were guards stationed in every building, by every wall at Seneca and every single one of them was from the Red Clan.

That made Mikoto wonder why was it possible for Anna to even be abducted.

"Mikoto? Where are we going?" Izumo asked.

His answer came at the sight of their little princess, on the ground beside the cat woman, looking completely exhausted and as white as paper. The Black Dog was at her side and the Silver King was tending to his cat woman.

Anna's own words condemned her:

"Please...don't be angry at Neko," Anna was appealing to the Silver King. "I had her come here. It's my fault she got like this...I'm sorry."

Her own words revealed that she had willingly put herself in danger and Mikoto's blood began to boil.

"Is that so?" he finally spoke in a dangerously low tone.

* * *

Mikoto was towering above her weak form, his golden eyes piercing-something she could see even in her black and white world. Shiro seemed to sense Mikoto's tension.

"Mikoto-san, Anna does not seem to be feeling well, perhaps-"

"Anyone can tell that she's not well, Weissman," Mikoto cut in curtly, sparing him a glance as the older King picked up his precious cat woman in his arms. Mikoto turned his attention to Anna again. He glowered at her like an angry lion.

He spun around and faced his clan members, all of who jumped in someway at his sudden movement.

"Get her. We're taking her back to Homra," he ordered Izumo.

Anna, already exhausted from her power use, and still sick from since earlier that day, found herself being lifted into Izumo's strong arms. Izumo settled her against him as gently as possible. She looked up at his familiar face and saw that it was engraved with concern.

"Are you alright?" he whispered.

Anna lay her head trustingly on his familiar shoulder but said nothing.

She wasn't sure if she was or if she wasn't. "A child like Anna would not act rashly without reason," Shiro said behind Mikoto.

Mikoto said nothing to him. He only motioned for his clansmen to leave. As they left the building, Anna saw that Ryosuke was being tended in his car by what looked like a medic. Anna weakly struggled against Izumo as she was concerned about the young principal.

Izumo, noticing the direction she was looking in had a fair idea that she and Neko had somehow used him to get to the base of the Rise. He looked at Anna and shook his head at her, indicating that she needed to be quiet and not say anything; Mikoto's mood was black right now. Anything could probably trip him off and even his own clansmen were wary of him right now.

Anna nodded and relaxed once more.

When they approached the car, Izumo sat down first and had her on his lap. Then, he moved to the other side of the seat and set her down in the middle. Mikoto slid in next to her. It was three in the morning, still dark and terribly cold. Izumo pulled off the scarf he wore around his neck and tucked it around Anna. Her nightdress, despite having long sleeves was thin and she didn't even have a shoe on her foot.

'Just what in the world was going on?' Izumo wondered. He knew Anna had to have been there for a very good reason and he was very worried about how much she had used her power.

Izumo sat properly beside her but Mikoto tended to sit with his legs more wide apart so that his very hard knee touched her thigh and she could almost feel anger being transmitted from it to her. She was about to scoot across more to Izumo's side but a glance at Mikoto made her stay where she was because he was glaring at her.

And it wasn't like the kind of glare he used to give her when she didn't want to eat, no; it was the kind that went along the lines of the expression, _'if looks could kill, I'd be dead'._

So, Anna remained where she was. Yata rode shotgun, Kamamoto drove and the ride was completely silent despite the utter confusion the members of the clan were feeling due to Anna's unexpected presence (the other members either came in other cars or motorcycles).

It was their King's mood that kept everyone silent. Everyone was afraid that he might trip like a switch and roar at them like an enraged lion.

Anna always expected that her return to Homra would be during the day, where she would be welcomed home warmly and she would be able to take in the old scent of cigarettes and alcohol and indulge in it, soak it...and she would be so happy.

However, upon pulling up at Homra, Anna found that all she felt was a deep sense of foreboding. Especially due to the man sitting next to her. Izumo handed Yata the keys to open the door to their home for them because he would be carrying Anna inside.

Anna snuggled deeper against Izumo for she was so cold. She began to tremble and Izumo held her tighter. Mikoto seemed to not notice. He was standing behind the pair as they waited for the door to open with a cigarette in his mouth.

Perhaps he was too busy trying to get his anger under control.

Once the door opened, Izumo set her down on her feet and switched on the light. Everything looked the same. The bar was the same and endearingly familiar.

But there was no time to enjoy it as Mikoto stepped in behind her.

Once everyone filtered inside, Izumo set Anna on her feet. "Perhaps Anna should have a bath before you talk to her,"

Mikoto shook his head. He looked down at her, "Go to my room. I will talk to you there," To the rest of the others, "Go home."

Finally, he looked at Izumo, "Call Natsume and tell her to come here,"

Ever the obedient child, Anna did as she was told and he followed behind her. As she headed up the stairs, she could barely take in the wonderful familiarity of the place she had missed so much. She had too much of a sense of dread in her...she felt more and more afraid...and more and more sick, especially with her painful awareness of the brooding man following behind her.

Once inside his room, he closed the door shut. Anna glanced at him but he merely pointed at his armchair where she climbed onto it obediently and sat down. She placed her hands on her knees and waited with baited breath for him to talk.

He watched her silently, his golden eyes unreadable. He dropped the butt of his cigarette into an ashtray that he kept on his desk. Then he turned his attention back to her.

In a slow, gravelly voice, he said, "You weren't supposed to be here tonight,"

Anna didn't know what to say. She was unsure as to whether she should speak at all.

She gasped in fright when Mikoto suddenly shouted, _"What the hell were you thinking?!"_ and his foot connected with a nearby chair, sending it flying into the wall where it smashed to pieces.

* * *

No one had listened to Mikoto when he had ordered them to go home. Instead, they remained crowded at the foot of the stairs. They had rarely ever come across Mikoto so ticked off, and this was the first time that his anger was directed at Anna.

They were very worried. To their shock, they heard him shout and then there was a crash. Everyone hurried upstairs. Izumo was the first to get there and he shoved open the door to see Mikoto standing a little distance away from a sickly looking Anna and there was a chair, crushed to bits, lying on the floor.

Izumo looked distraught. "What are you doing? Anna's not well and you're destroying my property!"

"Get out." Mikoto ordered, his voice cold.

Izumo and the others hesitated but the dark look he gave them made them listen and they left, shutting the door quietly.

Mikoto returned his attention to Anna. She sat there in a white nightdress that was somewhat dirty. She was barefoot.

She was sick.

She was physically weak.

And it was her own damned fault.

He knew she must have very good reason to be there but his anger was overriding his common sense.

Perhaps it was the sight of how miserable Anna looked that made him calm down somewhat. Sometimes she reminded him of a little rabbit. The only time one could really tell how they felt was by their behavior because their facial expression rarely changed, save for an occasion blink of their wide dark eyes. When they were afraid, they would tremble, and their eyes would widen.

Just as Anna was doing right now.

Seeing how she looked made him realize that she did not need him to act this way. Yet, he could not find himself being possibly reasonable with her.

He tsked in irritation before he finally sighed. He walked over toward her.

Anna looked up at him and a large hand reached down to her. As angry as he was, she knew that he was not going to hurt her. He cupped the back of her head and lowered his own where he roughly nuzzled her temple. She could sense how tightly he was reigning his anger. His body temperature was also higher because it was not at its usual comforting warm that she was accustomed to.

"Damn it Anna, what were you doing in the middle of the very danger I sent you away from?" he demanded wearily. The familiar scent of spring water that was common only from her had a soothing effect on him.

He stooped in front of her and pressed his forehead against hers. The scent of tobacco and all that was uniquely _him_ made her feel a little better physically. He closed his eyes and seemed to be basking in her nearness.

"Mikoto," she whispered his name. She had missed this: his bits of affection that he had in no way been stingy with when she had been home over the Summer.

His hands went to her shoulders and gripped them tightly. He drew back his head and looked down at her meaningfully. He cursed softly.

"Anna, you look like hell,"

"There was no other way," she was telling him.

Mikoto shook his head at her. "I'll question you when you're not looking like you're ready to fall into a grave,"

With that, he stood up and walked out the door. Izumo was cautiously waiting outside.

"Take care of her," he ordered his friend.

"Where are you going?"

"Out," he replied curtly.

After Mikoto left, Izumo entered the room. Anna climbed down from the couch and swayed a little. Somewhere downstairs, the door of the bar shut, indicating that Mikoto had left.

"Anna?" he gasped her name and hurried to her when she fell to her knees.

"Bathroom," she whispered and he quickly got her there. She proceeded to throw up everything she had eaten the day before into the toilet bowl. She felt as though none of the many onigiri she had eaten had digested at all and everything just seemed to want to leave her stomach.

Izumo was kneeling beside her, rubbing her back. The others had already gone home, despite their concerns for Anna.

"Natsume will be here soon, Anna," he assured her. Izumo was feeling so helpless at the sight of Anna like this. Never, ever had he come across her being so ill. He was tempted to call for an ambulance but he knew that it would be wiser to wait for Natsume.

Anna could barely hear him due to the sounds of her own vomiting.

* * *

Mikoto hadn't meant to be so angry. He had missed her terribly and he knew how much she had grieved for him. But he couldn't believe that she had found herself in the midst of everything that he had sent her away from...and that she was nearly half dead when he found her.

Now that he was thinking properly, he began to ponder her presence at the Rise's base. He suspected that she had something to do with turning off the machine that had created the barrier around them, considering the fact that she had been in the room of scientists.

When he had properly calmed down, Mikoto figured that it was probably best to go back home now. His phone began to ring. When he answered it, he recognized the voice of Ryosuke Natsume.

* * *

After throwing up everything that she had eaten the day before (and seemingly some stuff from the day before that too), Izumo had helped her rinse her mouth and carried her to her own room where he lay her down.

His phone rang. Thankfully, it was Natsume.

"Be back just now, Anna. It seems Natsume-san has arrived," he informed her.

Anna nodded weakly.

As promised, he returned a minute later, followed by Natsume-san.

"Anna, you look terrible," Natsume said to her.

"My stomach hurts and I threw up," Anna told her. She closed her eyes tightly as another wave of nausea passed over her.

"What were you doing today? After you went to bed" Natsume asked her.

"I had a vision...everyone died," she replied and sat up and covered her mouth. Izumo was immediately at her side.

"Do you need to go to the bathroom?" Izumo asked her, thinking she might need to vomit again. Anna shook her head.

"Ryosuke...we left him..." Anna tried.

"I already spoke to him. He told me that although Neko distorted his memory temporarily, he remembered the conversation you had and he told me you did have a vision. He explained it to me and I told him to let Mikoto know. Anna, I want to know if you used your powers in anyway aside from the vision,"

"I synced my power with Neko so that she could channel hers through to the scientists to stop Toshi from using the machine,"

Natsume was silent for a moment. "Anna...I'm shocked that you can still move,"

Izumo had been listening in enough to have an idea that Anna had saved their lives. He would mull over that later. Right now, he was too concerned about Anna.

Anna stomach began to hurt again. She placed her palms on it and let out a grunt of pain. Izumo turned to Natsume. "Is this because she overused her power?"

Natsume reached over and placed her palm on Anna's forehead. She activated her own power and read into what was wrong with Anna. She removed her hand and shook her head a little.

"Anna did push her power to its limits. She should be just exhausted right now, but the problem is that she's going to start menstruating very soon and it's not going to be easy on her, especially because of the exhaustion,"

Izumo, being a guy, did not really know what to say regarding 'girl stuff'. However, he had read the data Natsume had analyzed for him from what Seri had originally given to him that basically stated that Anna would bleed heavily and go through a lot of pain.

"She needs to return to Seneca with me," Natsume said as she straightened. Izumo would normally protest because he only just got back the child he had adopted. However, the sight of her and how ill she was dispelled that. If she had to go and she would get better there then he would let her go. Anna seemed to agree for she nodded.

She would probably be more comfortable there too because she would be among other females. "I need to talk to Anna alone for a few moments," Natsume told Izumo.

He agreed to go and left the room.

"Anna, do you still have those sanitary napkins I gave to you?" she asked her.

"I have one on. I thought this might happen...with the way I was feeling," Anna answered. Anna was too pale and her lips were pinched tight. She looked terrible enough for Natsume to gaze at her with alarm.

"We're going now. Ryosuke is with me and he will drive us and I will take you to the medical faculty at Seneca,"

Anna nodded.

Natsume went out the door and called for Izumo.

Izumo came in immediately. "We're leaving now. Please bring her to the car,"

Early on a late September morning, when it was still dark and very cold, Izumo walked out of his bar carrying a child wrapped in a blanket to a black sports car. Natsume sat down in the backseat first and Izumo carefully placed Anna beside her. He kissed her cheek.

"I wish you didn't have to leave so soon, Anna," he told her and had a sad look on his face. Izumo had missed Anna a great deal over the last two months. He had barely had time to talk to her and now she was leaving again.

"Me too, Izumo," she murmured.

Izumo gave her a last pat on her head. "We can visit her, right?" he asked Natsume.

"Yes. I will inform you as to when. There are still things to sort out with the Rise, aren't there?"

Izumo nodded. He bid them farewell and drew back. He shut the car door and waved to Ryosuke. Then, he watched them drive off with the child he loved like a daughter.

* * *

Mikoto was surprised when he entered the bar to see Izumo still awake and drinking what looked like whiskey.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Anna went back to Seneca," Izumo stated flatly.

For the last two months, they had been working endlessly either at Scepter 4 or at the Gold King's facilities to get to the Rise. They had all missed Anna and had had such little contact with her. In some way or the other, everyone had grieved for her.

Izumo missed the child who was so small, yet so significant. A child who, in her own way, added color to their lives despite the fact that she saw little color in her own world.

Mikoto had taken it the hardest out of all of them because he was much more frustrated, much more irritated and tended to lock himself up more. The only time he seemed to have any joy was when he was uncharacteristically taunting Munakata, something Izumo suspected was his way of getting out some of the frustration over not having Anna at his side anymore.

Mikoto was currently shrugging off his jacket. "Aren't you going to ask why?" Izumo questioned as he took another gulp of alcohol.

Mikoto merely grunted.

"It isn't because you were angry at her, if that's what you're thinking,"

Mikoto glanced at him, then walked over and sat beside him. "Then why?"

"She got violently ill," Izumo replied.

Mikoto stiffened. "Those are pre-menstrual symptoms based on her Type D personality Strain Type," Izumo informed him.

"I remember. So she went because she's getting her..."

"Period. Anna's getting her period," Izumo almost spat.

Mikoto realized that Izumo was upset not only because Anna was so sick, but because that meant that Anna would no longer be a child.

"Isn't it supposed to be really bad for her?" Mikoto questioned.

"Yeah, she'll be bleeding like a pig whose throat has been cut,"

Mikoto raised his eyebrows at Izumo's description. "Izumo...that's disturbing,"

Izumo shrugged. "It's the truth,"

Mikoto sighed. "What the hell was she doing playing heroine?" he muttered.

"Ryosuke-san called you?"

"Yeah,"

"What happened?"

"Anna had a vision of what happened tonight, only the machine hadn't stopped and I over-exerted my power to get past the barrier and then went crazy with power. My Sword of Damocles fell and everyone died,"

Izumo gazed at him in shock. "Then what she did was really to save us?"

"Yeah,"

"Wasn't there any other way? Considering how sick she was before and then to overuse her power like that..."

"It's miracle she didn't die," Mikoto finished and thanked God silently that she was alright.

"How did she even get there in the first place?"

"She and the Silver King's woman brainwashed Ryosuke and did the same thing to the scientists,"

Izumo was silent. It was no wonder the two females had collapsed to the ground when they had gotten there. To accomplish such feats, they had had to exert extraordinary levels of their power.

"Are you worried about her now?" Izumo asked him cautiously.

Mikoto didn't reply, but he definitely was worried about the little girl. When he had first been informed of what would happen to her, he, as a man, had found that so completely difficult to conceptualize.

He knew it was normal for women...but for Anna. Little Anna? And to bleed like that for so long? He had hoped that really and truly, it wasn't as bad as it sounded.

However, it seemed that Anna was definitely going to have a difficult two weeks.

"We can visit her. If we didn't have business to finish up with the other clans, I would have tried to go too," Izumo said to Mikoto who nodded.

Yes, they still had things to do; interview Toshi, sort out the strains they had found in the building, analyze Toshi's inventions, question his scientists and give a bunch of reports to the Gold King. He suspected that Munakata was going give him a call and nag him soon.

Mikoto bet that the only person who probably got away from half this entire business was that damned Silver King.

"Anna's growing," Izumo continued, miserable.

Mikoto glanced at him. "She grew about an inch. Did you notice?" the bartender questioned. Mikoto shook his head in reply. He had been too angry to really notice.

"And she's starting to get curves," Izumo sobbed. "who'll go bra shopping with her?!"

Izumo was definitely tipsy. Mikoto had not noticed much about changes in the little girl because of the emotions she had brought out in him over her actions.

He sighed. He was miserable. He had come home fully expecting Anna to be in his room being tended to by Natsume, but instead she was gone again. He was feeling like a child who had had his favorite toy taken away from him and when he finally got it back, it was taken again.

"She's growing up," Mikoto muttered and felt a deep sense of pity for her when he recalled Izumo's claim that she would 'bleed like a pig whose throat had been cut'.

"Yeah, she's growing up," Izumo agreed.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Gold King's headquarters, Neko was sleeping soundly in Shiro's bed. Normally, she slept in her cat form, curled up somewhere, including his bed but she did not have the power to return to that figure so she had to remain human in order to recuperate.

He was upset with her for pushing herself so, but from what had been reported to him through Munakata Reisi, via Ryosuke Natsume, it seemed that Anna and Neko had saved everyone's lives...and it could have cost them their own if they had drained their power too much.

So, here was Shiro, sitting in a chair beside the bed, gazing forlornly at the woman who meant so much to him. She opened her eyes slightly and saw him.

She smiled a little.

"Shiro," she whispered his name.

He took hold of a slender hand in his own larger one. He pressed his lips to the back of it. "Rest, Neko. I'm right here,"

She nodded and closed her eyes, that little smile still upon her pretty face.

Kuroh pushed open the door a little and poked his head inside. The dark haired man met the eyes of his Silver haired king. Shiro smiled kindly and Kuroh returned it. It seemed that Neko would be just fine.

* * *

Anna could not remember much of what happened. All she knew was that she had started bleeding on the drive to Seneca and she had cried out in pain at the cramp in her lower stomach. She had clutched on to Natsume so hard, there were nail digs in her arms.

"It's alright, Anna-chan. We'll be there soon," Natsume tried to soothe her.

She was in pain so much and so exhausted that she actually blacked out.

There was nothing she could recall, nothing she could really remember, just a lot of voices and a lot of words and sometimes a needle sticking in her arms after she was laid down in a hospital room.

* * *

_She opened her eyes and she knew she was in a dream again. It seemed to be early morning and she was sitting in Mikoto's room, on his bed. He was sitting on his armchair, looking at her. He was not angry and his expression was bored and tired as ever. _

"_Mikoto?"_

"_Wasn't there something else you could have done?" he asked her as he lay his head on a fisted hand and leaned on his elbow. _

_She blinked. "You mean about Toshi?"_

_He didn't reply, but that affirmed that yes; he meant Toshi. _

_She shook her head. "Mikoto put me in cage without a key so I had to break out,"_

"_Seneca is not a cage," he said, seemingly irritated at her words. _

_She looked at him with a blank face. "It was like that last night,"_

_Mikoto seemed to understand that she meant that he had done so much to protect her that he basically trapped her inside of the school with no way to get out easily so she had to resort to underhanded measures to get out, otherwise he would have died and would have taken so many with him. _

_Mikoto sighed. _

"_Are you still angry?" she asked him. _

_Mikoto did not say anything. She knew that that meant that although he understood why she endangered herself, it did not mean that he had completely forgiven her. And perhaps too, he did not like the idea that she had to be the one to protect him. In a way, it was like a blow to his pride. _

_Anna almost smiled. It was almost endearing in a way that he was being a grumpy lion about that little fact. _

_To Mikoto, he had come to realize and accept that for a long time now, Anna had been protecting him from himself, helping him to regulate his emotions with her quiet ways of understanding him. The bits of affection they gave each other and that deep bond that did not need many words, offered him a certain kind of warmth and comfort that no one else, not even Izumo, or even Totsuka had given to him. _

_And last night, Anna had physically saved him from himself. Yes, it was a bit of a blow to his pride and he was still disgruntled about that, but he was man enough to accept it and be grateful to her. _

"_Thank you," he said very softly._

* * *

Suddenly, the dream faded and she opened her eyes, gazing up at a white ceiling. She realized that she was in the medical faculty of Seneca. Normally, when she dreamed of Mikoto and she opened her eyes, his presence would fade. But it didn't this time.

She realized why. Sitting on a chair and now opening his eyes from a nap was her beloved King. "Lately when I see you, you seem to be on death's doorstep," he said in rough voice.

"Mikoto," she said, relieved, glad that he was really there.

* * *

**_AN: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. No one has died! None at all! Not even that bastard, Toshi!...And poor Anna :(_**

**_Anyway, thank you all so much who reviewed. I really appreciated it. You guys really keep me motivated to keep writing._**

_Ambivalencia: Aww...I'm glad my fanfic made your day a little better. I hope you liked this chapter. Keep taking your meds, hope you get better! I do see Mikoto giving Anna a lot of cold shoulder in the anime (especially right before he went to fight Munakata and he passed her straight. Like seriously, Mikoto couldn't you say goodbye to the child?), but I suspect it's because he just doesn't know what to say to her. Episode 10 (I think it was that one when she was sleeping next to him) gave me the impression that they were a lot more familiar with each other than one might think, and there's a lot more between them than one might realize. But it's just my take on it._

_XxXxSayuri-ChanxXxX: Glad that part with the hair and shampoo made you laugh. Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)_

_Shiary: I hope you liked this chapter :)_

_FireRaven99: Well, Kuroh only made a little cameo in this chapter, but I hope you liked it still :)_

_Bree Renee: Thanks so much for your lovely words! Glad your laptop got fixed!_

_annashina: This chap should have answered your question :) Hope you liked it!_

_mikotos: Thanks so much for your lovely review. I really appreciated it! Have you thought of writing again? I just enjoy it, that's why I update so quickly, and also because I have nothing else to do really...for now. That's one of the reasons why update as quickly as possible: because eventually I will become more busy. I hope I finish this story before that happens. _

_D: I'm glad you thought chapter 21 was nice. You'll find out more about the school etc. later on. I don't think Anna has it in her to have a full blown argument with Mikoto...yet ;)_

_Dragon's nest: Mikoto's too much of a soft spot for Anna to take out his wrath on her :)_

_Ihadyprilla: I Loled when you said you were hoping the chair would appear out of nowhere and hit Shiro on his head! XD Thanks for pointing out the errors. I'd appreciate if you could PM any you see to me from this chapter. You don't have to if you don't want to, but I'd be glad if you could. Thanks :)_

_Titania: Thanks for your kind words! Glad you liked the chapter!_

_ladeste: Wow...I'm surprised that you liked the chapter that much. That really means a lot to me to know that you read so many times! Hope you liked this chapter just as much :)_

_Titaniafalls (I couldn't get your full name to appear in the document): Yes! Mikoto is alive! I couldn't bear to kill him off...he's just too darn awesome!_

_Indochine: No one's dead...yet! Hm...well, you'll find out soon if it's the end or not ;) Yeah, Anna really did go through a lot :'(_

_ellywhite: Well, reviews that tell me how much everyone liked the chapter and look forward to the next really motivates me alot. Enjoying writing it is another great push to want to update more often. I hope you update yours soon :)_

_Mienchan-ish: Thanks so much for such lovely words! I will write more stories...but not quite yet. I want to focus on this one first and then I'll post up another:)_

_Guest: Wow, thanks for those lovely words in saying that it should be a side story to the manga. Really, thanks so much. It's a big compliment :)_

_nannerlovessnickers: I hope you found Anna and Mikoto's little interaction adorable in this chapter :)_

_Nobody Special: To know that my story is your favorite story in the K fandom really means a lot to me. Thank you :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter, God bless :)_

_**Thank you all so much for your reviews, I truly appreciated them and knowing that you all look forward to the next chapter keeps me motivated to keep writing. **  
_

_**This story is actually going on for much longer than I thought, but I hope you continue to enjoy each chapter that I put up. The next chapter should wrap things up a bit with the Rise. **_

_**A big thank you also to all those who favorite and follow this story. **_

_**God bless :)**_

_**P.S. What did you think of this chapter?**_


	24. Expressions

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 24-Expressions

Shiro sat down in his armchair on the Himmelreich. Once more, it was safe for him to be up in the air. As he leaned back and relaxed, he felt someone touch his thigh. Looking down, he saw that Neko was sitting at his feet, with her head placed on his leg.

Shiro reached down and gently patted her soft hair.

"Neko?" he voiced her name softly, concerned. She was supposed to be in her room, resting.

"I want to go down again soon, Shiro," she looked up at him with her different colored eyes. "will you come?"

Shiro smiled gently. "Yes,"

He was rewarded by the lighting up of her face in a way he hadn't seen in many months. Neko was very tired, but she seemed content to stay as she was. "Neko,"

"Mm?"

"I'm immortal," he told her.

She looked up at him and smiled kindly. There were lines under eyes, suggesting that she needed to sleep. However, he felt that it was best that he unburden his heart to her at last.

"You'll live for a long time, right?"

"Probably forever. I will never die," he told her a bit sadly.

Neko titled her head to the side and the bell around her neck jangled lightly. "That's alright, isn't it?"

He shook his head. "One day, you will die and Kuroh will die. I will be left all alone,"

Neko lifted her head a little, seemingly confused.

He continued, "I didn't want to be alone, so I distanced myself from you. I would watch that picture of my sister and think how lucky she was to be dead, while I remain alive,"

Neko stood up unsteadily. Shiro reached out to help her, but she slapped his hands away. She glared down at him before lifting a hand and hitting him on his head.

"Wha-? Ow! Neko!" he gasped and touched his lovely silver hair, trying to soothe the pain from his lash.

Suddenly, Neko threw her arms around his neck. "Stupid Shiro! Then you should spend as much time with us as possible! So we'll always be in your heart!" Neko cried and hugged him tighter.

Yes, he decided. Perhaps that was the better decision to make: make beautiful memories to keep forever instead of spending another hundred years alone.

His arms went around Neko, holding her to him as he enjoyed the feel of her soft body against his. He would treasure her more after this for she truly had a personality that would light up his life for many, many years to come.

* * *

_A man entered the bar. It was more or less empty save for the bartender who was cleaning a glass. He paused and smiled at the customer. The customer came up to him and ordered a rum and coke. He was about to seat himself at the counter of the bar when he noticed the life sized doll sitting on the couch. _

_He moved over cautiously to it. It was quite pretty: it was a doll of a little girl with long white hair and pretty eyes, dressed in a lolita styled black and red ruffled dress with a hat at an odd angle on her head. _

"_Izumo-san, where did you get such a pretty doll? It must have taken an expert craftsman to create it. I want one for my daughter,"_

_Izumo paused to see that the man had walked over to Anna. Anna turned her head abruptly and blinked at him._

"_AAAH! It's alive!" he cried out and ran out the door._

"_No, wait-" Izumo tried to call him back, but it was too late. _

_Anna watched him go expressionlessly while Izumo's mouth was wide open with surprise at his disappeared customer. _

_Mikoto came downstairs, scratching his head sleepily. "What's all the commotion about?" he asked. _

"_Anna scared away another customer!" Izumo snapped. He turned to Anna who was looking at him, confused. _

"_I'm sorry," she apologized, although not quite sure for what. _

_Izumo immediately felt bad for using that tone of voice. "It's alright, it's alright," he gently assured her. _

_Mikoto dropped down beside her on the couch. "Well, she does look a mannequin,"_

_Totsuka, entered the bar next and heard Mikoto's words. "Ah, now king, that's not very nice to say," He stooped in front of Anna._

"_Did the King hurt your feelings?" he asked her. _

_Anna did not say anything because she knew that she really did seem like a mannequin at times. The truth shouldn't hurt. _

"_Should I...feel hurt?" she questioned innocently. _

_Totsuka's smiling face changed to one of surprise at her words. Mikoto had glanced her way while Izumo frowned. _

"_Well...if you don't feel hurt, then you're not hurt," he stated. _

_Mikoto had been quietly observing Totsuka's face. There was a look in his eye, a look he knew well...one which indicated that he was up to some kind of mischief._

* * *

_Somehow he managed to get Yata involved. Yata had not really wanted to get involved until Totsuka told him that maybe they might see Anna's expression change. Yata went along with it then...simply out of curiosity. After all, it would be totally fascinating to see that doll-like expression come to life and look a little human. _

_The plan was to frighten Anna, and the King. Pranking Mikoto was a hobby of Totsuka's it seemed. As the two males stood cautiously outside the door, Yata whispered, "Won't Mikoto-san be super pissed if we frightened Anna?"_

_They knew how protective he was of the little girl, even if he didn't show it. _

"_Well, if that's the case, we run away until he calms down," Totsuka replied with a big grin. _

"_That's your plan?!" Yata hissed. He wanted to back away, but Totsuka was already sneaking into Mikoto's room. They had checked in earlier to make sure that Anna had fallen asleep beside him too. It was normal for her to be in his room, simply watching him because of the red in him that she could see. Sometimes she fell asleep beside him while gazing at him._

_What Totsuka and Yata did not know was that Anna was very much aware of what they were up to, because of her powers which had given her insight into their plans._

_Mikoto was sleeping on his side with his back facing Anna while Anna faced him, supposedly sleeping. _

_Totsuka and Yata crept silently into the room and once they neared Mikoto, Totsuka unscrewed a jar he had been carrying in his hand, and cautiously removed a large, ugly, black spider. _

_Yata shuddered at the sight of it. "Y-You shouldn't," he stammered. _

"_Think, Yata-chan. Imagine Anna's expression if she saw one of these," Totsuka whispered as he calmly lay the spider on Mikoto's arm. _

_Then, the two scrambled away and peeked from the doorway at the two to see what would happen. Mikoto's eyebrows twitched when he felt something moving up his arm...something very light and ticklish. He opened his eyes and could not really make it out in the dark. So, he sat up and switched on his bedside lamp. _

_His eyebrows rose slightly at the sight of the creature on his arm. _

_Before he could remove it, however, two little hands reached down and gently picked it up. He was shocked to see that Anna, small as she was, gently removing the spider from his arm. _

"_Where did that come from?" he muttered. _

"_I'll return it," Anna stated and slid off the bed with the spider in her hands. Weren't girls supposed to be afraid of spiders, he thought. He was not at all surprised, however, when she pushed the door open and revealed Totsuka and Yata stooping there. _

"_This belongs to you," Anna said softly and gently lay the spider on a stunned Yata's arm. _

"_G-G-Get it off!" Yata cried out and got up and attempted to brush it off. However, when it fell to the ground, it ran closer to him and he got up and ran away with the spider chasing after him. _

"_Ah, it seems Yata-chan really doesn't like spiders although it seems to like him," Totsuka chuckled. His wide grin froze when he realized that Anna and Mikoto were standing before him. Anna's expression was as neutral as ever while Mikoto seemed to be aggravated. _

"_What were you trying to do?" Mikoto demanded, annoyed. _

"_We wanted to see Anna's reaction to spiders," Totsuka replied. _

"_**You** Tatara-san! It was **you** who wanted to see it! You roped me into your mess so you take **your** punishment!" Yata shouted from the bottom of the stairs. Then, there was a loud girlish scream, Izumo's voice demanding in alarm, "What's wrong?!" and Yata crying, "A spider is stalking me!"_

_Mikoto lifted his hand and whacked it on top of Totsuka's head. "Don't pull your stupid pranks on little kids," he snapped. _

_Later, Totsuka sat behind the bar nursing a bump on his head while Yata was given some very weak sake by Izumo to calm his nerves. The spider had disappeared and Yata was traumatized by the possibility that it might follow him home. _

"_Was it really your intention to frighten Anna?" Izumo asked him with a sigh. _

_Totsuka smiled as he looked over at the King and the child who was normally attached to his side. They were sitting on the couch and it seemed that the spider decided to reappear. It was in Anna's hands again and Mikoto was gazing at it with a disgusted expression. Yata cringed at the sight. _

"_No, it wasn't Anna I wanted a reaction from," Totsuka replied. _

"_You have a twisted sense of humor, Tatara," Izumo stated wearily, assuming that Totsuka's prank was really meant for Mikoto and Anna would just be an added bonus in case she got frightened. Totsuka really did have a twisted sense of humor, and perhaps he liked to play russian roulette when it came to Mikoto. Normally he would ignore Totsuka and punish him later for his pranks if he felt like it, but the anger he had seen in his king's eyes had been due to his care and protectiveness of the little girl was what Totsuka wanted to see from Mikoto._

_It was a strange kind of entertainment for the young man. _

_The reaction he got wasn't the exact one he wanted...what he had wanted to see was what Mikoto would have done, had Anna actually displayed a frightened expression. _

_Tatara grinned. Who would have thought that the plan would backfire like that? Anna really was an amazing child. Well, a part of him was definitely glad that things turned out the way they did; had Anna really become scared enough to show it, Mikoto might have burned him alive for that. _

* * *

Anna slowly opened her eyes again. She seemed to have been in and out of consciousness, occasionally getting flashbacks of the past she had in Homra. After Mikoto's soft 'thank you', she had drifted off again and had come to the memory of the spider that Totsuka had tried to frighten her with. Totsuka never tried anything like that on her again after that, and Yata had somehow become friends with the spider who was a female. Perhaps he had accepted his fate that the spider was not going to leave him alone. Fushimi had once stated, 'It's probably the only female who would ever love him'.

The spider had eventually died. Yata had wept long tears for it. Fushimi had flushed its dead carcass down the toilet bowl, much to his friend's horror.

"How could you?! It deserved a proper funeral! It's not a goldfish!" he had shouted.

Fushimi had chosen to ignore him while the others laughed.

Presently, Anna looked around her hospital room and to her relief, there was Mikoto standing by the window. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes.

"Mikoto," she murmured his name. He said nothing, simply folded his arms and leaned against the window.

"How long have I been here?" Anna asked him.

He straightened and let out a frustrated breath.

Mikoto wondered if she felt in any way how she looked; her skin was deathly pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. She was thinner than he had ever seen her and he could almost swear that touching her would shatter her.

"Three days," he replied. He was itching for a cigarette but he could not smoke in the hospital.

Anna's gray eyes widened. It did not feel like she had been in there for so long.

"How long have you been here?" she questioned.

He shrugged. "A few hours," He approached her bedside.

Anna was silent. She sensed that he had been by her side for a while.

"How do you feel?" he queried, a bit hesitantly.

"Tired," she answered.

He nodded and carefully reached with his hand down to pat her soft hair lightly.

The door to the room opened and Izumo stood there. Seeing her awake, he hurried over to her.

"Anna! Are you alright? How do you feel?"

"I'm okay," she responded. She was just glad to see him too.

Izumo gave her a long, slow look. "Anna...you don't look that way,"

Anna gave a little frown. She glanced at Mikoto who shook his head, indicating that she really looked like she was ready to be dead and buried.

"She should be that way considering all that she's gone through these last three days," Natsume stated as she came into the room with a clipboard in her hand. She flipped some pages on it before giving Anna her full attention.

She sighed at the sight of the young girl. "Anna, do you have any idea as to what happened over the last three days?"

She shook her head.

"You were in so much pain that we had to inject you with high levels or morphine. You blacked out a couple of times and the only times you moved around was to get changed. I'm hoping your appetite is better because all you've been given is drips and you need energy,"

Anna didn't really want to eat. Perhaps her expression revealed that somehow because Mikoto gave her a stern look.

"We can't force you to eat because you might throw up everything and you don't seem to have enough energy to even do that," Natsume said. She sighed and walked over to Anna. She gazed at her serious. "Anna, you lost a lot of blood from your cycle. You aren't bleeding as you were the first and second day but you are still bleeding heavily. You haven't been eating properly,"

"I ate a lot of onigiri last week," Anna pointed out.

"Those onigiri you ate were mostly rice. There was not enough nutritional value in them. They lacked protein, certain vitamins and most importantly for a female like yourself, iron. Either way, you haven't had a proper meal in your system for the last few days because you threw up everything you ate. Your body is starved, Anna and I am sorry to say this but it seems as though you've developed anemia from your blood loss and iron deficiency,"

Anna's eyes widened and Izumo and Mikoto turned to her in surprise.

"Is it serious?" Izumo demanded.

"Once she starts eating properly and taking iron supplements, she should be fine. However," she turned to Anna, "you will need to quit one of your club activities and you need to get more rest."

Anna looked disappointed by that.

"You're currently in the archery club, aikido, kendo, kickboxing, ballet and occasionally the gymnastics and chess clubs. I want you to quit two of the martial arts. You do not have the energy for that,"

"But-" Anna began.

"She will quit the kickboxing club," Mikoto stated.

Everyone turned to him. His eyes were dead serious on Anna and he seemed to be getting angry again. She suspected that he wanted to shout at her for not eating properly, and that it was her own fault that she developed the anemia with her bad eating habits and desire to do so many activities. The only reason why he didn't was because she looked as though she already had one foot in the grave.

"She can learn kickboxing with us," Mikoto told Izumo.

Anna nodded reluctantly.

"You need to drop one more martial arts and I want you to stop the gymnastics club. You may go to the chess club whenever you feel like it but I want you to cut down on those activities before you kill yourself," Natsume told her. Her voice was severe.

Anna nodded again. She figured she would drop the kendo.

Suddenly, she perked up. She looked at Mikoto. "I'm not coming home?"

Izumo smiled a little. "You only just realized?"

She had barely had time to think about whether or not she would get to come home now that the Rise were captured. She always assumed she would be able to, so what was going on?

Natsume sighed. "I'll leave these two to explain to you. I have to tend to another patient so I'll be back in a few minutes,"

After she left, Izumo began, "We spent the last few days clearing up with the Rise. It seems that Toshi gathered scientists over time who were dissatisfied with the state of how Japan was being run. Although we are generally in a good economic standpoint, they felt that there was much more that we could do to rise as a world power. Although we are already considered to be one, they figured that perhaps we could try harder to be a more dominating country on a world basis. There was so much that they could do with the many things that they could invent to actually do these things.

Toshi basically used them and in a sense he was seeking to use the strains' power which he already knew how to harness to capture a king and research him next. Once understanding how the power of a king worked, Toshi could use it for himself and use brute force to conquer Japan and perhaps the world next,"

Anna nodded. Toshi sounded very much like a mad man. Izumo continued. "That was why they called themselves 'Rise' because they would rise to power. Your power itself is very extraordinary and there was so much they could do with it if they could use it to understand what people were thinking, especially if it was the enemy. Precognition seems to be something you developed only recently. I recall that before you joined Homra, it was said that you did not have foresight but it seems that some data was left behind, suggesting that you might develop it and you did, considering your vision where you saw all that destruction,"

Anna nodded once more. It had not been something she ever wanted to see again. "Toshi worked with that and if he could get a hold of you, he hoped that he might somehow be able to read into the future and know what paths to take. Using your power for himself, he could become his own fortune teller. When we got to him, he hadn't expected that Mikoto's power could go out of control, and no one expected that you and Neko would show up and ruin their plans,"

"What happened to everyone?" Anna asked.

"Neko is with her King. It seems that she will be fine. There were no casualties that night. Toshi and the scientists are in the custody of the Gold King. It seems that he is considering execution," Izumo answered her.

"Execution?" she repeated.

He nodded. "Possibly through lethal injections. They're contemplating it still because there are arguments for and against execution such as those. In light of all the evidence presented, it is possible that the only one who will be given the injection is Toshi,"

"Because he's the most dangerous one," Anna whispered.

"Yes, that's the main reason-a political one because he could usurp the government. Of course what he did to the strains is just the excuse,"

"I see," she murmured.

"There are a number of reasons as to why we think you should stay in Seneca," Izumo began and Anna began to pay more attention to his words. "The first being that we're not certain if you're completely safe,"

"What do you mean? You caught Toshi, and the rest of the members of Rise," Anna pointed out. She struggled to sit up, not liking this at all. However, Mikoto was at her side, placing his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to lie back. She settled herself and he removed his hand.

He was the one to speak then. "All the data he had about the blood compounds and the devices he used against the strains could not be found. The only data recovered was what he had about the machine he used to create the barrier,"

"Didn't he say anything?"

"All of Toshi's scientists were never told the whereabouts of the main area they worked in. they would simply be picked up and transported to some strange location. The vehicles they were transported in had them in a carrier in the back of a truck without any windows so they could not tell where they were going. Toshi refuses to talk and has decided that he will keep that secret to the grave," Izumo explained.

"But why? What does that have to do with me not coming home?" she demanded.

"We're not sure about the risks if anyone else may have a hand in that research, Anna. It is unlikely that anyone has possession of it and Toshi himself assured us that he alone knows where it is and that no one else should have access to it. He's too much of a narcissist to lie about that,"

"Then why?"

"If by some means someone else should get a hold of data, if they accidentally stumble upon it, they will have a lot of information on you, Anna; your name, your face, your address, your powers. Pictures that Toshi had his men take when they were stalking you,"

"But Toshi was a genius. How likely is it for someone to get that information? Wouldn't he have made sure it was hidden away?" Anna argued.

"It's unlikely but it's a risk we're not willing to take," Izumo stated.

Anna wanted to _hit_ him so badly. She was so angry!

"You're already settled here and you've started the semester on a scholarship. We don't want to uproot you," Izumo tried to reason with her.

"You already uprooted me," she bit out.

Mikoto spoke then, "Would you like to spend half a month in Homra the way you are right now?"

Anna paused and looked at him. He sighed. "You could die from your blood loss and you'll be in so much pain, you will go into shock or black out. We don't have the proper facilities to care for you, but Seneca does. Do you understand that?"

Anna let his words sink in. She swallowed hard and nodded. He was right. She was being given the very best treatment at Seneca by Natsume herself. She would be educated here and she would be safe here.

"You can come home on weekends and for holidays," Mikoto added in.

She looked up at that, relieved.

"You'll be kept protected here, but you'll have more freedom," Izumo put in.

Well, that sounded better, she decided.

There was a light knock on the door and Natsume entered. "I overheard your conversation," she informed them with a big grin. They suspected that she was really eavesdropping and probably would have intervened if she had seen fit to do so. "Don't worry, Anna-chan I will take you out. The town of Seneca has some lovely malls you might like,"

"Seneca has a town?" Anna asked curiously.

"You've been locked up in here so much that no one told you? Yes, there's a town. We'll go shopping one evening,"

Izumo seemed to be a bit relieved by those words and Anna thought she heard him mutter something about 'bra shopping' under his breath.

"And I can go home on weekends and holidays?"

"As long as you feel well enough," Natsume assured her.

Anna blinked and looked a little relieved. "Anna, you've missed two days of school. Your friends have asked for you," Natsume informed her.

Izumo and Mikoto turned their attention to Natsume. "Friends? Oh yes I remember you telling us that Anna had two friends,"

"Yes, Crystal-Belle and..." Natsume's voice trailed off as she recalled that she had promised not to mention that one of her friends was a guy.

"And?" Izumo prompted. Mikoto had narrowed his eyes.

"Akemi," Anna put in.

"Yes, Akemi! I forgot her name for a moment!" Natsume laughed. She hid her relief. Thank God Crystal-Belle had two names, she thought.

"They must be really good people for Anna to be friends with them," Izumo commented with a good natured smile. Mikoto had a suspicious look on his face.

"Anna protected one of them from bullying, right?" Izumo murmured.

"Yes, a true Red Clan member she is," Natsume added, eager to change the topic of who exactly her friends were. "But I think Anna needs some food in her stomach now. I'm having some soup sent up to her," she looked at Anna, "once you gain strength, you can return to classes."

"What did you tell Akemi?" she questioned.

"That you had a family emergency," Natsume answered.

"I see,"

"What did you tell the other one then? Crystal-Belle?" Mikoto asked. He was not a person easily fooled and he could sense when someone was hiding something from him.

"The same thing," Natsume answered with a shrug, trying to change the topic.

Anna knew exactly how to get him to leave the matter alone. "I'm hungry," she said and that did the trick.

Anna learned as she ate her soup that any strains who had been abducted over the past two months by the Rise had been recovered and all of them were alive, thankfully. However, they were in terrible condition and had had to be hospitalized immediately. Natsume had had to make two trips back to Shizume City over the last two days to see to them and she had to come back to Seneca because she alone seemed to know how to properly care for Anna.

Anna was very grateful to her and she knew that she could never repay the woman's kindness. She also learned that the men who had attacked Maria, and herself were really tools to Toshi; he merely used them to test out his devices and capture strains and more or less give the Clans what he wanted for them to come to him so he could attempt to capture a king. Of course that did not work out. Most of his tools had been killed by the time they had captured Toshi. Only his scientists and himself lived until they decided whether or not to execute him.

She was required to report her entire vision and the things she and Neko had done in proper detail to Natsume for her to inform the Blue King. Reisi had wanted to speak to her in person but Mikoto had denied him that, stating that Anna was currently too unwell and if and when he felt she was better, he would let her speak to him.

Everything was more or less peaceful...for now.

* * *

"We're going to have to return," Izumo said to Anna later.

She looked up from her lying down position, disappointed. She blinked at him. He smiled gently and kissed her forehead. "We don't want to go, and we wish you could come home with us but we have things to wrap up still with the Rise. Also, Mikoto's presence here causes quite a stir,"

Anna glanced at her King. He was sitting on the chair beside her bed with a bored, sleepy expression on.

"Because so many people are members of the Red Clan here, they tend to trip over themselves to meet him again. Mikoto remembers them all, of course, but he really came here to see you,"

Anna's pale cheeks got some color when he said that. Izumo stood up straight. "We'll see you sooner than you think, Anna,"

She nodded a little. Izumo waved her goodbye as he left the room, knowing that Mikoto would want a few moments alone with her.

Once Izumo was out the door, Mikoto stood up with a sigh. "Eat properly," he ordered her sternly.

She nodded.

He sat down beside her on the bed. "Try to get healthy," he continued.

He lowered his head and kissed her forehead as well, then nuzzled her temple, enjoying the softness he had missed. It made Anna feel a familiar wave of sleepiness wash over her.

"Don't do anything dangerous," were his final words before she slipped once more into dreamland, surrounded by Mikoto's warmth and presence.

* * *

The following week, Anna was strong enough to go back to school. She was trying her hardest to eat better and she had decided not to participate any club activities that week.

However, she still sat in even if she couldn't be active. To the dismay of the kendo and kickboxing club she had quit so now she could rearrange her club activities so that she had aikido twice a week with ballet twice as well, and archery once a week on Friday afternoons. Friday classes finished early and she figured that she would finish her club activities soon enough to leave to go back home and spend the weekend back home in Homra.

"Anna! What happened to you?" came Kei's voice as she headed to ballet with Akemi. The two females turned around to face him.

"Didn't Natsume-san tell you that Anna had some family business to sort out?! And she's not feeling well, so don't bug her!" Akemi snapped at him.

"Hey, I was worried about her!" Kei retorted angrily. Then, his expression changed to a smiling, sweet one. "Akemi was pretty depressed without you. It makes me feel like falling ill too because it would make my heart beat twice as fast to know that she mourned for me so!"

Anna hid a smile as Akemi attempted to hit him and he ducked. They made her feel that really and truly, staying in Seneca wasn't that bad. She did want to be home with the others, but it was alright to enjoy herself during the week at the school with these people.

* * *

It was Friday in the first week of October and Izumo glanced at the calendar. Today was a special day. In just a few hours, his precious little Anna would be back home. Everyone had decided to gather for the event. Eric, who had returned to Tokyo was making a special trip today just to see her. Chitose was already here with Maria. They were sitting behind the counter a little distance away, flirting with each other.

Mikoto was upstairs, sleeping. The others would arrive later.

They had received the report from Natsume before anyone else about Anna's part in the whole fiasco with the Rise. It seemed that the desperation of the situation really had left her no choice, but Mikoto seemed to feel no regrets over having placed so much protection on her. Neither did Izumo. After all, that protection was what had kept her safe from the Rise although it acted as a hindrance when she had needed to leave to get to them and warn them. Despite this, everyone had been impressed by Anna's actions.

There was currently one customer in the bar right now. It was an annoying, flirtatious, arrogant woman who seemed to have set her sights on Izumo. The woman was probably in her thirties and wasn't particularly bad looking with dark brown hair and dark eyes, but she was shallow and he did not like that.

"Izumo," she called sweetly. The man in question tried hard not to cringe.

Izumo was waiting for an excuse to make her leave and never let her come back. Just one he needed, just one.

Vaguely, he heard a car pull up as he listened to the woman indulge in a wide list of her grand achievements in her life.

A young girl entered, wearing on a brown jacket with a hood. Izumo was too busy making a drink to really notice her, but the woman did.

The girl lowered her hood, revealing the youthful face of a teenage girl. The girl was very pretty with her long, silvery white hair tied in a ponytail with a red hair band. Her eyes were gray and framed with thick black eyelashes. Her lips were lightly pink and her cheeks flushed from the cold outside.

She removed her coat, revealing a middle-school uniform of a checkered red skirt with a red jacket over a white shirt and a red ribbon about the collar. The girl was definitely young, but she had curves that one could already notice through her uniform. If she kept herself fit, she would have quite a body later on.

The woman smiled. "Sorry honey, bars aren't for the underage,"

Izumo glanced up momentarily and saw the girl. "I'm sorry but she's right," he stated.

"Izumo?" a very familiar voice said.

Izumo blinked twice before he realized that he had just spoken to Anna. He glanced at the clock on the wall before turning to her. Anna had arrived before time because her club activities had ended early and Natsume was on her way to Shizume City, so she gave her a lift there.

"Izumo, you know this kid?" the woman demanded.

Izumo hurried from around the counter toward her. "That's my daughter!" he snapped in reply and grabbed Anna, hugging her tightly.

"Anna? That's really Anna?" Chitose asked.

Maria glanced around as well. She had seen Anna once, about a year or so ago and it seemed that her growth must have skyrocketed. She had looked about seven or eight back then, now she looked like a twelve or thirteen year old.

Izumo drew back from his hug. He grinned down at her. "You've grown. You look your age," he told her.

"Is she really your child? Aren't you a bit young for a child so old? Brats like that should be with their mothers," the woman said behind him.

Izumo glanced at her from over his shoulder and let out a funny kind of laugh. "Is that so?"

The woman nodded.

Izumo's eyes went dead serious. "Get out," he said coldly.

The woman was shocked. She did not even question him because he looked dangerously angry right now. She hurriedly grabbed her purse and left without paying the bill.

Upon looking at Anna, Izumo's expression turned back into to that of a doting dad's.

"Let me look at you again! Anna you look so beautiful!" He hugged her again and Anna hugged him back. It had been so long since she had properly hugged this man who she cared for like a father. When he drew back, he cupped her cheeks. "And so healthy!"

Chitose and Maria approached her next.

"Anna, you're going to a man-eater!" Chitose exclaimed and embraced her next. He then introduced her to Maria who warmly welcomed her. Anna had seen Maria before, but had never spoken to her. She had kinship with her as she was also another strain and Anna took an immediate liking to her.

"Where's Mikoto?" Anna asked, looking around.

"He's upstairs. I'm not sure if he's still asleep, but he would be glad to see you," Izumo said to her.

Anna nodded. Her expression remained as blank as ever save for her occasion blinks and the tilting of her head but Izumo knew her well enough to know that she was very happy to be home.

As she disappeared to look for Mikoto, Maria commented beside Chitose, "If I ever have a daughter, I want her to be just like her,"

"Chitose would spoil her too rotten to come out like Anna," Izumo said as he returned behind the counter.

"Who said anything about kids?!" Chitose demanded of Maria. Then, to Izumo, "I would not!"

Izumo smirked. "You'd be wrapped around her little finger...just as how Maria has you,"

Maria giggled light heartedly and Chitose glanced at her with a frown. Then, he grinned wickedly at Maria who blushed at the sight of his handsome face. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed his forehead against hers, looking at her meaningfully.

"It's the other way around, Izumo,"

* * *

Anna hurried up the familiar staircase and dropped the duffel bag she had carried right outside her room door. She didn't bother to go in there; she went straight across to Mikoto's room instead. She touched the knob of his room's door and tried to still the quickening beat of her heart. She did not know why she was feeling so nervous. Perhaps it was anticipation.

She slowly opened the door and to her delight, there lay Mikoto's large body on the bed. He was lying on his side, facing the wall with one arm hanging from the bed and the other cushioned under his head.

Anna removed her school's jacket and her ribbon which she lay on the armrest of his sofa. She loosened her long, beautiful hair from its high ponytail and let it swirl around her. She dropped the hair band with her other items.

Then she moved to the bed, where she lay down beside him in that familiar empty spot. She indulged in his warmth, something she had been deprived of for so long.

Although she was disappointed that he was still asleep, she was content to just lay beside him for now. Perhaps when he woke up, she would be able to benefit from his unselfish affection. She decided to take a little nap too, so she closed her eyes.

She opened her eyes when she felt the bed shifting. They widened when they came in contact with a white shirt. A long, strong arm wrapped around her, drawing her against a powerful chest. The hand of the arm that was around her lifted to lightly stroke her soft white hair.

Anna lifted her head a little and saw that handsome face that she had missed so much. In her eyes she saw beautiful red, flaming hair, piercing eyes, a sharp nose, strong jaw and smooth, soft lips. She was surrounded by his beautiful red, and she was so glad to be near him again.

Mikoto was surprised to see that on Anna's normally blank face, was a tiny smile. Strangely enough, he felt the urge to smile back, and he did so, rather warmly. She blushed at the sight of it and shyly buried her face in his warm chest.

"You're back," he murmured her and the lion proceeded to nuzzle the cub he had missed so much, taking in her scent and unabashedly enjoying the feel of her soft hair. Anna sighed in contentment at his touch, and his scent of tobacco. How she had missed this! Suddenly, she reached her arms around his neck, making him pause. She was hugging him tightly. Mikoto's own arms slid around her small body and he sat up with her, engulfing her in his warm embrace.

"I'm back," she whispered, enjoying the feel of his arms around her and her body pressed against his. This was where she felt safest.

It was where she felt warmest.

"You owe me a song," he reminded her before proceeding to rub his nose into her hair again, right above her ear, at his favorite spot. He let out a soft sigh of relief.

At long last, his princess was home.

* * *

**THE END**

**A/N: I lied! Of course it's not the end! Anna still has more growing to do! This fic is by in no ways close to finished...I hope everyone keeps enjoying the chapters until it's completed (which may be a long way off from now...). I actually hadn't thought I would go beyond 22 chapters with this story and it looks like there's going to be quite a few more. **

**Thank you so much, all of you who reviewed:**

_FireRaven99: Yes, your review did encourage me to update faster, knowing that you enjoyed it :)_

_Officialcat: I'm glad to know that this is your favorite fic, and I hope you keep enjoying it to the end._

_iCooky: Hope you really liked this chapter. I will try to update as quickly as I can. Maybe not everyday, but I will try :) By the way, thanks for telling me about the tumblr and going out of your way to give me that information. I really appreciated that. I actually found those translations before though, but thank you so much still for informing. If you like, there's someone named 'Trashbunny' on tumblr who is translating parts of the novel (this person is so awesome, and a big thank you to him/her!). You should go check it out if you haven't as yet :)_

_annashina: Good to hear from you! Glad you liked the chapter! Sorry to hear it's difficult to read from your mobile, but I hope you enjoyed it still :)_

_nannerlovessnickers: I'm glad you found it cute and adorable and I hope that this chapter was to your liking as well :)_

_Bree Renee: Glad you liked this chapter! But seriously, who can NOT have a soft spot for Anna? She's too damned cute! _

_lasdeste: I'm glad you liked the chapter, hope you liked this one too :)_

_XxXxSayuri-chanxXxX: I don't want to spoil anything for you but I hope that whoever Anna ends up with is satisfying to you :)_

_Indochine: Hahhaha! I should write in a little interaction with him and Seri but I keep waiting for the translation of the next chapter of Memory of Red. It seems that there's some stuff with Seri and Izumo in it. I want to read that before I write anything more on those two :) _

_mikotos: I'm glad I don't get pains like that either...although I know of at least two people who do get heavy periods like that. _

_Titania: I will just put your name like that for now, hope that's okay so you'll know it's you I'm referring to. Last night someone put the cut with the song 'Requiem of Red' from episode 13 which starts with Mikoto's voice apologizing to Anna. I started to cry and I was like, 'damn you Gora!' But even with Mikoto gone, I would still watch Season 2 for Anna. If the anime takes a path I don't like, I would just stop watching it. I'm a fan of Mikoto and Anna and the Red Clan. Not really the others, and I can't picture the Red Clan being the Red Clan without Mikoto (sorry for being so biased:/)._

_BlueEyes775: Wow, that's a real compliment. I don't think this could ever be as good for that, but I truly appreciate your words. Thank you :)_

_Mienchan-ish: Hope you enjoyed this chapter!_

_val615: No one has died...so far ;) Yes, Anna will be growing up in this story and I don't want to tell you what's going to happen between the two of them yet. It might spoil things for you, but I hope you enjoy the rest of the chapters. Don't worry about whether or not your english was good. I understood you, and I appreciate your reviewing :)_

_Shiary: Glad you loved it, hope you loved this chapter too :)_

_LindyLin: I still watch Pucca to this day! I will probably start the other fic when I'm finished or nearly done with this one. I want to focus on this one first :)_

_D: You want to develop a love interest too? You mean you want Mikoto to develop a love interest too? Well, you'll see how things get along in the future :)_

_dragon's nest: Mikoto will meet Kei...eventually. I have a weird (somewhat warped) idea for how to introduce the two, and I'm not sure if I might go along with it, but if I do, I hope you enjoy it :)_

_Nobody Special: Well, it's not ending any time soon but I hope you enjoy it to the very end :)_

_**Thank you again, all of you. **  
_

_**Thanks also to all those who follow and favorite this story. I appreciate it and you all keep me motivated. I'm not sure about whether or not I would be able to update tomorrow, but I will when I can :) I love you all.**_

_**God Bless :)**_

_**P.S. What did you think of this chapter?**_


	25. King and Princess

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 25: King and Princess

When Anna opened her eyes, she found herself curled up against Mikoto's back. It was normal for him to roll away to his side, even if he fell asleep cuddling her. She would usually remain on her side of the bed and sleep on peacefully. However, this was the first time she had followed after him and snuggled against his back.

It was quite a broad back too, and very warm. Anna still had not gotten used to the cold in Seneca so lying next to Mikoto was nice and toasty to her whenever she thought of the freezing weather she sometimes experienced in the mountains. She wanted to bury her face between his shoulder blades and remain like that a little longer, but she knew that she had to get up. The others were probably waiting to see her.

So, she slowly sat up until she was kneeling at Mikoto's side. His chest area had that healthy, beautiful red that she loved and she wished so badly that she could thread her fingers through his lovely rouge hair too...but she would disturb him, so she didn't.

She moved to go but Mikoto turned onto his back and opened his eyes. He glanced at her.

"Sing," he ordered her.

She was confused for a moment, then she remembered that he had wanted her to sing the song she had given to him for his birthday. So, softly she sang the words like a lullaby; her own personal message to him that lulled him back into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

"Oi, be quiet!" Yata snapped at Bando who was yapping away with Kamamoto and Shouhei. He felt as though he was hearing a soothing, sweet voice.

"What's the matter?" Bando asked.

Yata grabbed him by the collar. "I said be quiet! Don't you hear that?!" he snarled.

"To be fair, Yata-chan, no one can with you shouting," Izumo stated from behind the counter at the bar. Everyone had eventually gathered together at the bar, in anticipation of Anna's return. They had been delighted to know that she was back early, but disappointed that she was asleep.

"Wait, someone's singing," Dewa commented and glanced at the ceiling. Izumo listened hard. It was difficult to make out the words, but he caught one of two of them.

_'I will sing a song for the sake of the life we have weaved together'_ was a line he recognized and he smiled upon recognizing that it was Anna's song to Mikoto. He had happened upon the paper with the lyrics one day and Mikoto had finally explained to him that that was his birthday gift from the little girl.

_"Hey, what's this?" Izumo asked when he picked up a piece of paper from Mikoto's desk. _

_Mikoto who was sitting in his armchair finally decided that he would let Izumo see Anna's birthday gift to him. Izumo opened it and read it. _

_"Anna wrote this?" he asked. _

_"Yeah. Tatara helped her," Mikoto replied. _

_Izumo nodded and folded the paper, laying it carefully back where he had found it. It truly was a lovely song and Izumo wondered if Mikoto had actually grasped how much Anna clung to him and how much he truly meant to her. The lyrics probably said it, but that did not mean that Mikoto completely understood it, even if the words were clearly stated right in front of him._

_Mikoto was what one could describe as pretty dense when it came to women and Izumo suspected that Anna might have a hard time with him when she got older. _

_Despite this, perhaps on some level, Mikoto did grasp the true depth of the words of her song because it seemed that he read it quite often, considering the state that the paper was in it. _

Izumo smiled softly. Anna's song was gentle and soothing, and perfect for calming the beast in Mikoto.

The room was darkened, but there was enough light to make it dimly lit. Anna was gently stroking Mikoto's red hair as she ended her song. Mikoto was flat on his back with his head cushioned on his pillow. He seemed to have fallen asleep again.

Anna lowered her head and gently kissed his cheek with her hair curtaining around her and creating white pools around Mikoto's head.

She was home, where she belonged. Although it was only for two days, she would treasure these moments she had Mikoto, and the others who she loved so much.

* * *

Anna showered and pulled on her old outfit of a red black ruffled dress and her favorite hat. It felt so good to be back in her favorite clothes! She pulled on her white stockings and shoes and went downstairs to greet everyone. Before she opened the door, she heard Izumo quarreling with Yata.

"Do you want to keep living from paycheck to paycheck, Yata-chan? Think of your mother! You have the opportunity to go to college, you should just take it and stop trying to quit!"

"I'll do online courses! Isn't that what you and Mikoto-san did?"

"You said that since last month when you withdrew. Do something with yourself!"

It seemed as though Yata hated school too much although he had been pressed by Izumo to continue his education so that he would not have to scrape for cash every month. Of course Izumo took very good care of his clansmen, but he by no means spoiled them. Except for Anna and Mikoto because Mikoto was the King and Anna he had adopted. Even so, he did things for them that was in their best interests even if it meant making them do something they did not like (such as Anna going to Seneca).

"I will! I will!" Yata assured him.

When Anna opened the door, the first person she saw was Kamamoto, who was munching on some yummy pastries. He had put on weight again and his stomach looked like the size of a huge, inflated beach ball.

His mouth was stuffed when his eyes fell on her. Quickly, he swallowed his food, wiped his mouth with the sleeve of the back of his arm and hurried over to her.

"Anna! Look at you!" he said and caught her by the waist, lifting her off the ground and swirling her around.

Shohei and Bando came next.

"Anna! You look so pretty!" Shohei told her and hugged her.

Bando embraced her next. When he drew back, he frowned. "Anna, you feel a little thin," he commented.

Yata, who had come up beside him, whacked Bando on his head.

"What was that for?" Bando demanded.

"You pervert! You're really paying close attention to a little girl's body, aren't you?!"

"But she really does seem thin! Her clothes are loose! Look!" Bando snapped and tugged at the midsection of Anna's dress, revealing that there was some space at her stomach which used to fit perfectly before.

"Yata-chan just doesn't know how to greet Anna-chan," Shohei laughed.

"And look at where you're touching her!" Yata added and shoved Bando's hand away. He caught Anna by the shoulders and pulled her away from them. "Touching a girl's body like that is bad for her upbringing!"

"Bando-san wasn't the one who flashed Anna when she was seven," Kamamoto commented as he attacked another pastry.

Yata was at a loss for words. "What are you talking about?" Shohei asked.

"That was before you joined and Anna had just met us. She walked in on-"

"No! Don't say it!" Yata exclaimed and ran to cover Kamamoto's mouth.

Anna turned away from them when Dewa came to greet her next, followed by Eric. Eric looked very handsome and well dressed in jeans and a blue shirt. He was neat, well dressed and somewhat humble looking in appearance. It was a far cry from what he had been when he had first come to Homra, all beaten, bruised and starved.

"You miss here a lot, don't you?" he asked her as they sat on the couch.

She nodded.

Izumo came over to them and placed a platter in front of her, piled high with sandwiches. "Eat. You look healthier, but you're still too thin,"

"And her dress is too short," Yata added as he snatched a sandwich.

"How did you notice that?" Chitose asked as he came to get sandwiches for himself and Maria.

Yata blushed lightly.

Izumo grabbed him by the top of his head. "Where were you looking, Yata-chan?" he asked dangerously.

Yata looked confused for a moment by his words, then it dawned on him that Izumo thought that he had been eying Anna's legs. He blushed and gasped in mortification.

Squirming in Izumo's hold, he defended himself, "I did not look at her anywhere strange! She just grew taller so I assumed that her dress is shorter! And it is, isn't it?!"

Izumo let Yata go and turned to Anna. "It seems as though Yata-chan is upset that you're getting as tall as him,"

Anna glanced at her clansman. She blinked at him. Yes, Yata was rather short for a guy. Izumo gave her an assessing look.

"But you are getting taller. You need to get new clothes. Perhaps you should go shopping tomorrow,"

However Anna shook her head at him. "I can go shopping with Natsume-san during the week," she told him. She did not want to waste any time shopping when she could be at home with everyone, and with Mikoto.

"Ah, I see. Well, eat something then. I want to fatten you a little before you go back to Seneca," Izumo told her.

"Just don't let her get like that fatty over there," Yata said, and jabbed his thumb in Kamamoto's direction. The blonde was already pigging out the rest of pastries. Anna had missed Kamamoto quite a bit. Skinny or fat, he was always very warm and welcoming to her and he had taken a great deal of care for her both before and after Tatara had died.

Yata leaned down and whispered to her, "Hey Anna, I got a new Pucca DVD. Want to watch it later?" he asked her.

She turned to him and nodded. Yata's face brightened up.

Dewa handed Anna a sandwich, seeing as she had not taken any yet and she bit into it. Izumo decided to take a break from manning the bar and let Kamamoto take over. He sat himself in the seat Eric had recently vacated and frowned when he saw that Anna had left out all the crust of her sandwich and had eaten nothing else. It lay on a napkin on her lap.

Mikoto came in, seemingly having just awakened.

"You look better than I've seen you in quite a while. Perhaps a little angel sang a lullaby to you," Izumo told his friend.

Mikoto merely shot him a dark look and sat between Anna and Izumo. He glanced at Anna. "Eat something else," he told her.

"I'm not hungry anymore," she said.

Mikoto frowned. Then he sighed and reclined his head back against the couch. "Well, you're the one who will have to quit your aikido if your anemia worsens,"

That seemed to have struck a chord in Anna for she took another sandwich and began eating.

"I'm making omurice tonight, if you're interested," Izumo told her.

She perked up a little at that. She hadn't had any decent omurice since leaving for Seneca. That was because Chef used too many rich ingredients; the finest of the fine and although it tasted good, nothing could beat the homeliness of Homra's omurice.

"Eat your crust," Mikoto added when he saw her tearing it and reluctantly, she did so. Izumo had her wash it all down with a glass of milk and she found herself becoming sleepy. Her cycle had only finished the day before and she had had not had as much sleep as she probably needed to recover from that, as well as the fatigue from her power overuse.

She unintentionally slipped into a deep sleep while her head leaned against Mikoto's arm.

"Perhaps we should move her," Eric said as he neared by to take another sandwich. Mikoto shook his head. Anna was fine where she was; she was at home with them, and that was enough.

* * *

"_Cinderella's fairy godmother appeared again and changed her rags into a beautiful wedding gown and she went off to marry the prince! Isn't that a lovely story, Anna? Maybe one day you would find your own handsome prince!" Totsuka said to eight year old Anna who was sitting on his lap while he read the story of Cinderella to her. _

_She glanced up at him and blinked. _

"_Don't put strange ideas into her head," Mikoto grumbled as he lay down, half asleep on the opposite couch. _

_The young man and the little girl looked at him. _

"_Or maybe even a king," Totsuka chuckled, earning him a deep glare from Mikoto. _

_Anna, however said, "There was no fairy godmother,"_

_Izumo, in his usual position behind the bar commented, "It seems that even Anna doesn't believe in fairy tales,"_

"_One wicked stepsister got her toe cut off and the other one got her heel cut off..." Anna blinked, it seemed that she was wracking her brain, "and their eyes got picked out by birds."_

_Totsuka, Izumo and Mikoto were speechless. Even more so because Anna said it with a straight face. _

"_A-Anna, that's a bit disturbing. Where did you get such an idea?" Totsuka questioned._

"_That's the real story,"_

"_The real story?" Mikoto repeated as he sat up on the couch, intrigued. _

_Anna nodded. She slid off from Totsuka's lap and walked up to Mikoto. She sat beside him on the couch and he listened to her tell the original story of Cinderella by the Grimm Brothers'. "There was a bird who lived in a the tree that Cinderella planted near her mother's grave. When Cinderella wanted to go to the ball, she would say a rhyme to get her dress," _

"_Do you remember the rhyme?" Izumo asked as he listened in._

_Anna's mouth seemed to tighten momentarily as if trying to remember. Then, it seemed as though she remembered for she said, "'Shake and shiver o little tree, throw rushes of gold and silver on me'"_

"_So the fairy godmother was really a bird?" Totsuka queried. Anna nodded. As she continued the story, Mikoto became sleepier and suddenly, his body slumped to the side and he was leaning on Anna. _

"_It seems that your voice put him to sleep," Totsuka laughed. _

"_Well, Anna's voice does have that sweet lullaby tone. C'mon, let's move you before this guy crushes you," Izumo stated and took Anna's hands in his to remove her from Mikoto's side. _

_Totsuka gathered her to his lap again and asked, "Where did you learn that story?"_

"_My aunt...she had a book,"_

"_And she read it to you?"_

_Anna shook her head. _

"_You read it yourself?" Totsuka questioned, rather surprised that a child so young could read so well already. _

_She nodded. Totsuka and Izumo shared a look. It seemed that Anna was quite a brilliant child. Totsuka hugged her to him and rest his chin on top of her head. _

"_Anna will grow up to be an amazing, beautiful person,"_

* * *

"Do you miss him?" Anna questioned Mikoto when he opened the refrigerator to get something to drink. Mikoto glanced at her. She was standing on her chair, cutting up some mushrooms with Izumo. Izumo kept a keen eye on her because of the sharpness of the knife she was using. Her question had caught his attention too.

"Who?"

"Tatara," she replied.

Mikoto took out a bottle of cranberry juice and shut the refrigerator. He grunted, meaning 'yes'. Anna's eyes remained on the mushrooms she was carefully slicing up.

"Why do you ask?" Mikoto wanted to know a moment later because she had said nothing else.

Anna just shook her head.

Izumo lifted a hand and gently placed it on her head.

"Last year it was the four of us staying here, wasn't it?" Izumo was saying. "and Tatara was the one who would make omurice for you."

Anna paused her slicing and then nodded before continuing.

"You miss him a lot, huh?" Mikoto murmured as he passed behind her.

"I wonder what he would say if he was here?" Izumo pondered aloud. Then, with a sad but warm smile, he stated, "he would probably say that Anna is growing up to be a beautiful girl and that one day a prince would come into her life and when he saw you helping me cook, he would claim that you would make someone a wonderful wife,"

"That guy had a lot of flowery words," Mikoto muttered, seeming to be irritated.

Izumo glanced at his friend. "You're in a bad mood,"

Mikoto shrugged. "The two of you were always filling her head with idea of a prince. Those things don't exist,"

Izumo smiled quietly. "But kings do,"

Mikoto clicked his tongue in irritation. "I don't know what you're implying,"

"I wasn't implying anything,"

"Whatever," Mikoto muttered.

Anna calmly set down her knife. Very softly, she confided in Izumo, "I wish...I wish Tatara was here,"

Izumo gathered her in his arms and hugged her. She did not cry, and her expression hardly changed, but there was sadness in her eyes and the two men knew her long enough to recognize it. Mikoto observed her silently before taking a sip of his cranberry juice.

* * *

"How come you spend weekends here?" Akemi asked Kei when she happened to come across him wandering the school grounds. Kei grinned at her.

"My beautiful Akemi, such a pleasure it is to see you as always," he flirted.

She merely looked at him.

Kei shrugged and shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. "My family is abroad. My brother is staying in the dorms at school so it's best I stick around here. I guess it's something like that for you too, huh?" He glanced her way, giving her a smile of understanding.

Akemi still had a deep liking for Kei, although she would never admit it. Perhaps it was because she suspected that Kei might have some feelings for Anna. When he smiled, he lit up the room and he seemed to be filled with warmth.

Yet, there was an aura around him that gave one the impression that he was somewhat of a sadist: he could be both cruel and kind. Once, she had chanced to ask Anna what about Kei reminded her of her dead brother and she had said that it was his smile, but his contrasting personality in that aspect of cruelty and kindness was something that set him very much apart from her Tatara. Anna would say nothing more on the matter. It seemed she was very clammed up when it came to relating things about her family. She understood; it was very painful to her.

Akemi did not really know her friend's feelings for Kei but she knew she had a soft spot for him, just as she (Anna) had a soft spot for her (Akemi) and Anna would not be a person to view Kei as a substitute for her deceased brother.

"Something like that," Akemi responded to his question. "My dad is abroad too and I don't have any other family in Japan that I'd really like to see."

Kei nodded, understanding. "It seems kind of lonely without Anna," Kei murmured as he noted the absence of their quiet friend.

"Yes, it is," Akemi agreed. They were sitting outside the grounds of the cathedral where they would normally have Sunday morning worship. As always, it was cold in the mountains and a strong wind blew, swirling Akemi's long blond hair around her.

Kei was momentarily surprised to see how beautiful the girl looked with golden girls and bright blue eyes. He had to admit, Akemi was very pretty. She and Anna were perhaps the most loveliest girls in the entire Middle School.

Kei liked both girls well enough, but there was something about Anna that made him very interested. Perhaps there was that air of mysteriousness she unwittingly had around her.

* * *

Mikoto and Izumo had been pleased to see that Anna had finished her omurice and asked for seconds. Everyone had already gone home, except Yata, but they would be back for breakfast the next morning. "Anna needs to get clothes," Mikoto said as he ate his food.

Izumo and Yata turned to him.

"Why do you say that?" Izumo questioned, recalling that that topic had been mentioned earlier.

"Her skirt is reaching too far up her legs now. Tell Kamamoto to take her shopping after breakfast tomorrow,"

"How come when I said that you wanted to half kill me?" Yata demanded of Izumo.

His question went unanswered, but the obvious reason was because Mikoto would not look at Anna in a strange way. Not that Yata would either, but Mikoto was the king and a lot more trustworthy.

"She said that Natsume would take her during the week," Izumo told him.

"Is that so?" Mikoto murmured. He seemed to recall how Tatara used to take Anna shopping all the time for new clothes and sometimes would spend out the money in the arcade or something or the other. Izumo would get annoyed, but upon seeing the pleased look in Anna's eyes from her outing, his anger would ease.

A couple of months had not been enough to forget Tatara, but Mikoto had been surprised by her abrupt change of mood today. While he excused it as probably 'puberty', or that the omurice had triggered off bittersweet memories, something kept niggling at him but he couldn't figure out what. It was like two weeks ago when he had been in Anna's hospital room and they were talking about Anna's friends. Mikoto couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Since he couldn't figure it out, he let the matter rest.

* * *

Anna curled close to Mikoto that night. She hadn't meant to let them see how sad she was today, she had wanted to be glad because she was at home. Of course she was glad, but she did not want her sadness to mar the time she spent with the people she loved so much. It just felt so strange to come home and not find Tatara there, even though he had died months ago.

Moreover, Kei's smile always triggered off memories of her deceased caretaker and yesterday he had looked so much like Tatara when he had laughed, that he had almost frightened Anna.

Sometimes she wondered if they were possibly related in some way since Tatara's birth parents had abandoned him, but she felt that it was unlikely. Her powers would have allowed her to sense it and there was nothing strange or abnormal about Kei. He was perfectly normal...well, as normal as Kei could get.

Many times she thought that she should abandon their friendship, but she couldn't find herself doing that; not only because she didn't have the heart to do it, but also because he had a personality that was too big to ignore.

"Hey, go to sleep," Mikoto muttered gruffly in the dark beside her. He was lying on his back and her head was on his arm.

Anna immediately closed her eyes despite the turmoil in her mind.

She heard Mikoto sigh wearily before he turned to his side and gently pulled her closer to him to cuddle against his lithe body.

"Are you thinking about Tatara?" he asked her.

She nodded and buried her face against his chest while her hands caught fistfuls of his shirt. "What are you thinking?"

She lifted her head slightly. In the dark, she could make out his fiery red hair and the outline of his face which was lightly gray. Against his chest, it was red, her favorite pretty red, where it was soothing and warm.

"What it would have been like...if he hadn't died,"

Mikoto was silent for a moment, as though unsure of what to say. Then, when he spoke, he admitted hesitantly, "I wonder the same thing too,"

Somehow, those words comforted her; to know that Mikoto was still hurting from his death and that it was alright that she felt this way.

Anna's small hand touched his hard bicep and slid to his elbow, then slowed at his wrist which her hand barely even covered half of. She then lifted his hand and fit her palm into his much larger one.

"Did my hand grow?" she asked him as she rolled onto her back and looked at their hands, trying to make out their sizes as best as she could in the dark.

"No,"

Mikoto sensed her disappointment and almost grinned. He didn't and let her snuggle against him again. His arm went around her once more, banding her to him.

"Go to sleep now," he murmured.

She nodded. Tomorrow she would wake up next to him, and the following day too...but Monday, Monday she would be in school again.

* * *

"Anna, do you need help with your hair?" Izumo asked as he stepped into her room Monday morning. It was six in the morning. A car would be here to pick her up soon so that she could reach Seneca in time.

Anna glanced up at him from tying a red ribbon into her hair to keep it in a nice, neat ponytail. Izumo grinned.

"So you finally learned to do your own hair,"

She nodded.

"Tell Mikoto goodbye before you leave,"

Anna nodded again. She grabbed her duffel bag and hurried to the door. She paused by him and hugged him abruptly. Izumo hugged her back.

"It was great to have you home, Anna. We'll see you again soon," he assured her.

Anna nodded against his sleeping shirt, then let him go. He took her bags from her. "Go to Mikoto, I'll take these to the car,"

She hastened to Mikoto's room where he was sleeping the same position as he had been when she had been awakened by Izumo earlier that morning. He was sleeping facing the spot she slept in because he had been hugging to her to him the entire night. Perhaps in some unconscious way, he was displaying how much he did not want her to go because when she tried to get out of bed, his arms only tightened around her like steel bands and she could barely move until Izumo intervened and managed to pull away one of his arms.

"You really are like the lion's favorite bone," Izumo had commented. Anna still did not like that comparison.

Now, she sat beside him in her school uniform and she wanted so much to just curl up beside him and sleep again. Of course she couldn't. She had school and she did like seeing Natsume's family, Kei and Akemi.

But she would miss Homra so much and she would definitely prefer to stay here, next to Mikoto, having him spoil her with his warmth and affection. She was too connected to everyone at Homra to want to stay away for too long no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that she could love Seneca just as much.

She hoped that one day, she would become stronger, and be able to protect herself so that no one could make the excuse that she needed to be protected and send her away. Hopefully by then she would not suffer with such horrible menstrual cycles. She was already maturing quickly physically as predicted based on the data Natsume had on her Type D personality. She only hoped that it was true that she would eventually menstruate normally within a few years' time.

Anna lay a hand on Mikoto's arm. "I'll miss you, Mikoto," she confessed softly. She leaned down to kiss his cheek before she left, however, he rolled onto his back and grabbed her arm. He pulled her to him and nuzzled at her temple. He paused and drew back, remembering that it would make her sleepy and probably mess up her hair.

"Be good," he said to her with a voice thick with sleepiness.

Anna nodded and he caught the side of her face in his hand. It seemed he was unable to help himself because he his nose began rubbing against her cheek.

"Mikoto, I have to leave," she informed him reluctantly.

She felt his warm breath on her cheek as he let out a sigh. He pressed a rough kiss there and drew back.

"Fine," He let her go and turned away.

Anna hesitated and leaned down to give him one last kiss on his cheek. She could sense how much he didn't want for her to leave and she knew that he felt how much she wanted to stay. But they would meet again...next weekend.

Mikoto felt when she got up and left through the door. It was going to be a long miserable five days without his princess.

* * *

"Anna! I missed you!" Kei cried when he saw her and reached out to grab her into a hug. However, Akemi was there before him and shoved him away in time.

"Leave her alone, you perve!" Akemi snarled and proceeded to hug Anna herself.

"No fair, Akemi!" Kei grumbled and tried to tug her away from his friend. "you had her all day long, even for lunch!"

"Oh hush. I had cleaning duties at lunch time so I barely got to talk to her!" Akemi snapped. She turned to Anna with a big smile. "we missed you. How was your family?"

"They were good,"

"It's great you can go back home now that the house is finished," Akemi was saying. That had been her excuse for not going home for the last two months.

"What did you do?" Kei questioned.

Anna paused and her eyes looked thoughtful, despite her facial features never changing. "I ate...and slept,"

The other two looked at each other in surprise. Was that all? Somehow, they didn't doubt it: Anna looked more well rested than they had ever seen her and she actually looked like she put on some weight.

It was true. Anna had spent the entire weekend sleeping curled up in Mikoto's arms on the bed, or on his chest when he slept on the couch. She sometimes helped Izumo cook or simply sat in the bar sipping orange juice if she was tired of sleeping. Yata brought along his DVDs and she watched them with him. Izumo made all her favorites and the more she ate, the more her appetite increased. Whenever everyone came over, she relaxed around them, just happy to be among them.

She recalled one particular activity that was a bit interesting over the weekend. She had been playing chess against some of the other members and actually beating them. She even beat Mikoto, but that was because he had let himself be beaten.

_They were sitting on the couches, opposite each other. She was the white team, he was the black. He had played well with his pieces although he had seemed reluctant to use them. It eventually came down to him having only his king and queen on the board and deliberately he put his king in front of the queen. _

"_Mikoto, you can't put your king in check," Anna said to him._

_Mikoto sighed. "Then I forfeit. What kind of King would I be if I can't protect the queen?" he asked her and stood up. _

_Anna had still had a knight, a castle and her king. Mikoto had had many openings to win if he used his queen, but he didn't. _

_After he had gone, Anna had remained as she was, quietly contemplating his words. Izumo saw her and figured out what she was thinking. _

"_Nevermind him, Anna; Mikoto believes that the King is supposed to protect, not the other way around perhaps he saw all the chess pieces as his clansmen. The only female on his side remaining was the queen. You are the only female close to him, and perhaps in his mind his queen is you. To Mikoto, he would have felt badly if he let his own queen-meaning you-sacrifice herself for him, even though it's just a game,"_

Perhaps that would make sense, she decided, considering that sometimes life really was like a game of chess for Mikoto due to all the battles he had gone through since he was probably her age.

But it would be strange for her to be considered his queen: she was something like a princess at Homra-not really a queen. For some reason, she remembered the words Totsuka had said to her the day he had read Cinderella to her; _'Maybe one day you would find your own handsome prince...Or maybe even a King!'_

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was just to show Anna's interaction with everyone and what it was like to be home again. Hope you enjoyed the fluffiness of this chapter. For everyone looking forward to Mikoto meeting Kei, I honestly don't think that it would be soon because I'm still pondering a certain kind of plot that I'm not sure if to go along with or not, but I think you guys might like it even though it might be a bit strange (Kei would meet Mikoto in this plot). I just don't want for the plot to seem too farfetched.**

**The original story of Cinderella was really awesome. Not sure if I got all the info right, particularly with the rhyme because some versions have it differently. **

****Anna's song, as mentioned before in a previous chapter, is her character song that is sung by her seiyuu, Yui Horie. It belongs to its respective creators and I lay no claim on it. **

**Thanks so much, all of you who reviewed:**

_mikotos: I'm so glad to hear that you liked the chapter! Well, I can't promise that Mikoto will meet Kei soon, but I hope you continue enjoying the story before he does :)_

_Titania: Who knows how Season 2 will be? Maybe they would make Anna the new King o.O? That's a weird idea, but who knows? Glad you loved the chapter and sorry for tricking you (although I'm grinning evilly inside :P)_

_Indochine: Aww...I couldn't help it! The opportunity was just...there! Hope you liked this chapter though :) How was the morphine lecture? I'm still looking out for that chapter...I saw some scans of it in Chinese I think and it looked really funny (wish I understood Chinese...or Japanese)._

_annashina: No, it's not gonna end anytime soon :)_

_XxXxSayuri-ChanxXxX: I think Anna would be very beautiful...and still retain some of her cuteness. Whenever she blinks, I go 'awww...so adorable!' Hahaha. This story still has quite a way to go and I hope you continue to enjoy it :)_

_IzzatiNoKitsune: I'm glad to hear that you're really enjoying the chapters. That means a lot to me :) And so sorry for scaring you!_

_Guest: Don't worry, I wouldn't the chapter so abruptly! Thanks so much for your lovely words. They were a real compliment to me :)_

_iCooky: I think Mikoto probably would have swatted the spider too :) Glad you liked the chapter so much. I hope you didn't fall asleep in school! Make sure you get plenty of rest :) What you said about me keeping Mikoto in character really means a lot to me because I sometimes wonder if he gets a bit OOC, especially in the parts with Anna/Mikoto fluff although I developed the plot in earlier chapters to explain that. Thanks so much, I appreciate it :)_

_Yuuna-chan: I'm glad to hear you like it so much and I hope you keep enjoying it :)_

_Mienchan-ish: Hm..I have some ideas for their encounter. It might not be soon, but I hope you enjoy the story until they do meet :)_

_dragon's nest: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much, and I hope you enjoyed this one too :) I tried with this chapter and I hope you liked the rest of Homra's reaction to Anna's return and her growth spurt :)_

_Ambivalencia: So good to hear from you! Well, the time skip is just two weeks, but there will obviously be more timeskips :) Hope you liked this chapter too :)_

_fearfulfears: hope you really enjoyed this chapter and glad you enjoyed the last one...OMG, what did you do when you saw that spider?_

_Bree Renee: That's alright about the late review because I posted the last chapter probably around 1 or 2am. I expect that you would probably be sleeping around that time. Glad you liked the chapter :)_

_val615: Hm...I wonder what his reaction would be like? All in good time we'll find out I guess. Glad you liked the chapter and hope you liked this one too :)_

_ladeste: Glad you liked it :)_

_D: I'm so sorry to hear that you get them that badly :( I hope you have like good medications and stuff to help you. Maybe Mikoto will develop a love interest ;)_

_nannerlovessnickers: Don't worry, the end won't be any time soon :) I'm really happy to know that you like the story so much. They probably will, they probably won't. Don't want to spoil anything for you ;)_

**Thank you all again so much for your lovely reviews. I hope you really enjoyed this chapter as well, and that you look forward to the next. Thank you all also, all those who follow and favorite this story. I truly appreciate it and you all encourage and motivate me to keep writing. **

**God bless. **

**P.S: What did you think of this chapter?**


	26. Money Matters

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 26: Money Matters

In the month of January, the Seneca Group of Schools had a tradition for its Middle School students where the members of the boys' school would be able to spend an extended lunch hour in the girls' Middle School. The purpose was to encourage more interaction among members of the opposite sex that was outside of club activities in order to ease some of their awkwardness between the two groups. It was simply a part of Seneca's way of developing their students' social dimension.

Anna and Akemi were sitting in the lunchroom. Normally, they did not care to have lunch in there and preferred the roof, but it was currently too cold to go up there and Kei had asked them to remain in the lunchroom because it was the only area of the girls' school that the boys were really allowed to socialize in.

It seemed that it made no sense that they wait on the guy because he was busy flirting with a group of girls.

Anna did not want to draw attention to herself, so she came in late and remained as inconspicuously as she could to the back. Since all the guys had already grouped off with the other girls, none of them really noticed Anna who, once sitting still enough, could pass as a mannequin.

Akemi did not seem to care for the company of those males either and preferred to be with Anna because she sat down beside her as well, observing Kei flirting outrageously with the girls who seemed to love it.

"Kei is such an idiot," Akemi muttered as he kissed a girl's cheek. Teachers were around, monitoring their interaction and one of them hit Kei on the top of his head with a rolled up newspaper. Kei merely smiled embarrassedly.

"He's enjoying himself," Anna commented.

Akemi glanced at her. "Hey Anna?"

Anna looked at her friend.

"Do you have someone you like?"

Immediately, the image of a red haired young man came to her mind. Without a doubt her feelings were always for Mikoto and she did not think that they could ever change for there was no other like Mikoto; no one as strong and reliable and no one who could perhaps understand what her life was like before Homra. He was a grumpy lion with a big heart. Could there be any other like him? No, not to Anna's mind.

Her cheeks reddened lightly and Akemi gasped in surprise and pleasure. She grinned slyly. "So, who is he?"

"He's...older," Anna murmured.

Akemi frowned. "Oh...is he a friend of one of your brothers?"

Anna paused. Yes, she supposed it would be best to say that so she nodded.

Akemi sighed. "That's just a child's crush, Anna. I mean if there's anyone in this school that you like; like any of the guys in here?"

A child's crush? Anna doubted that that was what her feelings were for Mikoto could be summed up as, but she went along with what Akemi said nonetheless.

Anna looked around.

"Do you see anyone you like, Anna?" Akemi queried, glancing around the room. Kei appeared before them at the same time she asked that question. He pointed two fingers at his handsome face meaning that he should probably be one of them. Neither girl paid attention to him.

Anna glanced up, ignoring him then looked from left to right. None of the boys she saw measured up to any of her clansmen. She shook her head and returned to her bento.

"Neither do I. They all look like immature brats," Akemi sighed, disappointed.

"What about me?! Am I not sexy enough?" Kei asked and gave his most appealing smirk with a wink.

"Like I said, they all look like immature brats," Akemi repeated.

"What?! How can you blow a man's ego like that?" Kei demanded.

Irritated, Akemi reached across the table and grabbed Kei's ear, pulling hard. "You're not a man. You're a boy. Remember it,"

She let him go and he reached across and grabbed her long, golden hair, making her gasp. He wrapped a long strand around his wrist and tugged, forcing her closer to the table. With a disturbingly warm smile and gentle face he told her, "Hurt me again, and I'll hurt you back, sweet Akemi,"

He immediately let her go and she recoiled away from him, like a shocked, hurt animal. She glared at him when he reached out to touch her again and she got up and hurried away from him.

Anna watched her friend go. She glanced at her male companion. "Why did you do that?"

"She looks pretty when she's hurt and angry," Kei responded. It seemed as though Kei was something of a sadist.

Anna stood up, figuring it would be best to go after her. Kei said softly, "Anna, you were in the hospital two weeks ago, weren't you?"

She looked at him. "How did you know?"

Seriously, he replied. "I was there. In the room where they were testing your blood, there was a bed that was curtained off. I was supposed to be sleeping and I was about to, but I heard Natsume-san call your name. I peeked from there and saw them taking blood from you and you were then taken away from the room afterward by the guards whom I've heard protect only the most elite,"

The guards he spoke off were those who were stationed near her room. They were already pretty strong men from what she recalled when they had joined the Red Clan.

"What happened to you...and more importantly, _who_ are you?" he asked her.

"They were checking my blood count," Anna replied. She had been so sick she had been barely conscious.

"Your blood count is low?"

She nodded. "I'm slightly anemic,"

Kei frowned. "Slightly? You looked as though you had lost a large amount of blood,"

"Why were you there, Kei?" she asked him, expressionless as usual, but indicating that she did not like someone picking at her to find out her business.

"I'm anemic too," he reminded her.

Though her facial features barely changed, it clearly indicated that she did not believe him. His eyes lowered and he admitted, "I don't understand how, but somehow my anemia put me at risk for heart failure,"

Anna did recall that Natsume had mentioned that Kei issues with his health.

Anna's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Aren't you a bit young?"

He shrugged. "My anemia was really bad. I got better but there are times when I don't feel well so I have to remain at the medical faculty to make sure that I'm properly cared for,"

Anna was silent for a moment. "Does Akemi know?"

He shook his head.

The only time Akemi got aggravated with him was when he flirted with Anna or became too arrogant. He liked the girl well enough but he knew that she would worry too much for him. Somehow, he felt that Anna would understand better than Akemi.

Perhaps it was because he suspected that Anna went through a lot more in life than either he or Akemi knew, and that gave her the ability to understand and accept instead of always worrying and being concerned.

"If Akemi were to cry for me, which I think she would, I would treasure her tears," Kei confided in her. "but I would rather her not weep for me."

At his words, Anna felt as though she was looking at someone else. Kei had something in him that she felt a certain kinship toward. She did not understand but she felt as though he had suffered in some way in his life and could barely compromise himself from that experience. However it was, he seemed to want to genuinely laugh and move on from it and try to keep on living.

She wondered if whatever that experience was, was linked to his health condition. She decided that he would tell her when he felt like it. It was not fair that he share his secrets with her when she held so many herself.

She had suspected it from before, and now she could completely realize that Kei was a lot more mature than he tended to let on. In a way, very much like Tatara who could laugh and smile, yet have a deep, deep understanding of those around; so much that even Anna when she would clam up, could find herself confiding in him.

"Hey Anna, what did you do for your holidays? You never said," Kei told her.

* * *

Anna had not had a very good vacation back in December. It had to be cut short, unfortunately. Normally she would return home for three consecutive weekends and would spend the following two in Seneca due to her menstrual cycle. Unfortunately, her menstrual cycle had become irregular and she had had to return to Seneca and spend her birthday in the medical ward.

Every time Anna returned home, Izumo would grumble that she lost weight again and proceed to stuff her with food or have Kamamoto come over and have her hang around him to develop bad eating habits.

Based on the information Natsume had given to him on Anna, it seemed that she was still slightly anemic, but as long as she did not overdo it with her club activities, she would be just fine. It seemed that Natsume had suggested that Anna quit another club, but Anna had refused.

"Hey, today's Anna's birthday. Aren't we doing anything?" Kamamoto asked. Anna had gotten holidays since the beginning of the month of December, but she had to return to Seneca soon again.

"Well, neither she nor Mikoto are feeling well," Izumo replied.

"What's wrong with them? Did they catch the cold that's going around?"

Izumo grinned as he wiped his countertop. "Anna had the cold when she was in Seneca last week. It had already spread throughout this city by then and she got over it. Mikoto claims he hasn't caught it, but he did. Probably from Yata-chan,"

The chestnut haired fellow was at home, sniffling with his cold. His mother was taking care of him and sometimes his fellow clansmen dropped by to make sure that he was alright. Anna had gone with Kamamoto the other day to drop of some hot soup for him. Yata had been delighted and very pleased to see them both.

"Eric couldn't make it from Tokyo today because they're experiencing some bad weather. Chitose and Maria went on a small holiday and got kept back because of the weather too. Shohei and Bando are still recovering from _their_ bout of the cold while Fujishima and Dewa called today to let me know that they're also unwell," Izumo added.

"But what's Anna sick with? Didn't she get over it?"

Izumo hesitated and replied, "Girl stuff,"

Kamamoto questioned no further. Although neither Izumo nor Mikoto spoke about it, the rest of the clansmen had read the data on Anna's strain Type so they more or less knew why she came home only on certain weekends.

* * *

Anna had told Izumo herself that she had to go back to Seneca. It seemed that her cycle had become a bit irregular as it was supposed to come the following week. She always knew that it would when she felt overly nauseous and her lower stomach began to hurt. It irritated her because she wouldn't be able to stay at home for her birthday and would leave that evening to return to Seneca. She was also disappointed that hardly anyone from the Clan could come by. However, she was still happy to receive a soft 'Happy Birthday' from Mikoto when she had awakened; as soon as her long eyelashes fluttered up, Mikoto's face was the first thing she saw.

After his soft words, he lightly patted her hair before getting out of bed. Anna had been glad with just that.

She was lying currently beside Mikoto again, who was grumpy due to a headache and was suffering from a stuffy nose.

He was lying on his side, turned away from her. Although it was December and therefore cold, Mikoto's power made the room much warmer so Anna was wearing on a dark red dress that fell to her knees. It had short puffed sleeves and simple black buttons to the front. She did not bother with any stockings.

Anna did not get any new gothic lolita dresses...mainly because of Izumo-and her own stubbornness.

_The town of Seneca was very was very much unlike any other place she had ever been in because the infrastructure was more like a medieval setting. Even some of the streets were cobbled. Since it was situated on a mountain, stone staircases were created to allow ease of passage through the slopes and bumps. _

_It was quite lovely and it had a wonderful selection of shops. However, Anna requested first that they go to the bank. She needed to check how much money Izumo had forwarded into the account they had opened before she had come to Seneca, where he had promised to send her parents' money that was left to her, for her own personal use._

_The bank was generally empty and Natsume took a seat while Anna went through the very short line to approach a teller. _

_She gave the teller the bank card she had been issued in Shizume City. The account was in her name and Anna's school ID was more than sufficient as a form of ID because of how much prestige the school had in the area; students used the bank often and it was allowed that their student Ids could work as a temporary form of legal ID. The teller, a young woman, accepted it. Then, she told Anna to wait a moment. She went to the back and returned with a white envelope. _

_She proceeded to inform Anna of how much was in the account. _

_Anna thought that she might have at least 5000 yen. However, she had no more than 3000 yen. Izumo had forward only 1000 yen over the last few months. _

"_Kusanagi-san said to give you this in case you ever came to the bank to find out how much money is in it,"_

_Anna accepted the letter and saw:_

Dear Anna,

I know you may be wondering why there isn't much in the account. That's because this is for you to use on any small expenditures. Anything else you may need, such as clothes you can ask Natsume-san and I will reimburse her. I hope you understand.

Love,

Izumo

_Anna was not surprised at all by Izumo's actions and had used the money from the account to purchase some school supplies and two new dresses. They were relatively inexpensive although being quite pretty and Natsume had had a questioning expression upon her face when Anna insisted on using her debit card._

_She currently had 500 yen to her name until Izumo forwarded her some cash. She decided for herself that she would not have him continuously buying her expensive things...even if there was a certain red and white lacy, frilly lolita dress that called to her from a showcase window. Perhaps for a child, she had too much pride and too much of an independent streak. It seemed that was one of the drawbacks of being a 'little adult'._

* * *

Anna still wore on her old dress with the black and red ruffled material occasionally. She had not completely outgrown it, and she was quite certain that the reasons why Izumo never questioned her change in clothing style was because he assumed that her tastes had changed.

Anna cuddled herself like a kitten against Mikoto's broad back and pressed her nose into the material of his soft white t-shirt. She was very tired today and she was starting to feel hungry again. It was due to her cycle; her appetite increased dramatically before.

Mikoto, however, had lost his appetite since becoming sick.

"Mikoto," Anna murmured his name behind him.

He grunted.

"You didn't eat your soup," she stated.

He grunted again.

She sat up and knelt by him.

"I was waiting to eat with you," she continued and that seemed to get his attention.

He turned around and looked at her with questioning eyes. With a blank face, she said, "I'm still waiting,"

"Didn't you tell Izumo that you were feeling nauseous?" he demanded, irritated.

Anna paused. "If Mikoto eats, I will eat too,"

Mikoto narrowed his eyes. He reached up and pinched her cheek. "You trying to bribe me, brat?"

Anna whimpered a little in pain as he tugged her cheek. Suddenly, the door opened and Izumo stood there.

"Stop that, Mikoto! Just because you're sick doesn't mean that you can bully Anna! She's unwell too!" Izumo snapped.

Mikoto heaved a sigh and released her. "Yeah yeah," he mumbled and let her go. He sat up and moved to pick up his cigarettes from his nightstand.

"And stop smoking! You know you'll only get more sick!"

Mikoto's shoulders slumped dejectedly. "'Kay," he mumbled. He was too miserable too snarl back at Izumo for nagging him.

Izumo almost smiled. On a calmer tone, he added, "The soup's getting cold,"

Mikoto pondered his plight of getting sick and not being able to take in his hourly dose of tobacco.

Anna seemed to pity him. She drew closer to him and stood up, hugging him around his neck from behind.

Mikoto liked the softness about her, and the little warmth she carried. It soothed that angry beast in him many times. He glanced up and looked around. He saw her looking at him with wide, gray eyes. Her cheek was a little red from here he pinched it. He turned slightly and leaned slightly to her to kiss the red area apologetically.

"Come on," he muttered gruffly and gently removed her arms from him before standing up.

Anna used to reach him a little higher than his elbow before she left for Seneca when she wore on her red mary jane shoes which had a little heel. This was now her current height without those shoes.

He glanced at her as she walked at side toward the door. Anna was still very quiet and expressionless but it seemed that she had gotten even more quiet, as though something inside of her was softly growing and maturing. They could see changes in her, not just physically but in her behavior as well.

She did more things for herself; she combed her own hair, prepared her own clothing and food. She did not rely on Izumo or Kamamoto as she used to before.

It was something the two men sometimes bewailed.

Despite this, she was still much like her old self, where she remained quiet and still, rarely speaking unless spoken to and simply contented to listen rather than to converse.

"Mikoto?" Anna said his name hesitantly. She looked up at him and blinked.

He realized that he was looking at her and frowning deeply. "Let's go," he stated and opened the door.

She walked behind him and paused at the step, feeling a little woozy. Mikoto glanced back at her. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, but held onto the railing. Mikoto sighed wearily and held out his large hand to her. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise and she shyly accepted it, letting him lead her down the stairs with her hand carefully in his, so that she wouldn't fall.

"Mikoto?"

"Mm?"

"Did my hand grow?"

"No,"

Anna was disappointed.

Once they reached the bottom, they headed to the bar.

Mikoto caught her by the back of her dress and dropped her into a stool, much to Izumo annoyance.

"Mikoto, can't you be more gentle?" he demanded.

"She looked to weak to climb onto the chair," Mikoto shrugged.

"You are so ungentlemanly," Izumo commented.

Kamamoto went to the back to get them their soup.

"One day a nice gentleman will come along for Anna," Kamamoto added as he re-entered the bar with two hot bowls of soup.

Although Mikoto dug into his soup silently, he seemed to be irritated by Kamamoto's words.

"Anna, did you see any nice guys in Seneca?" Izumo asked curiously.

Anna might have been tempted to say 'yes' if she didn't sense an eerie delight coming from Izumo where it seemed that he would take pleasure in threatening Kei if he ever met him. Kamamoto had perked up and Mikoto was listening in silently.

"...No," she answered after a moment and started to eat her soup.

"Ah, that's too bad," Izumo continued, despite having a very satisfied smile on his face. Izumo could be very scary sometimes; he could tear a man apart while having a sarcastic smile on his face.

Anna observed Izumo for a moment longer. "Izumo," she voiced his name softly as he hummed while cleaning one of his glass.

"Did you see something?" she questioned. Izumo sometimes had premonitions. It rarely ever happened but he did occasionally get strange dreams concerning the welfare of his clansmen. They were never as vivid as the one Anna had with Toshi, and they came like small minute video clips in his dreams.

Izumo merely smiled gently.

However, Mikoto was not pleased. "What did you see, Izumo?" he demanded.

Izumo sighed, knowing that he would have to tell. "I just saw Anna and she was a bit older, like nineteen or twenty. I don't remember much about how she looked, only that I had an impression that that was her age. I can't recall much but she was riding on a motorcycle,"

"Well, it wouldn't be surprising if she gets her own motorbike one day," Kamamoto commented because he knew Anna liked them. She actually had developed an interest in them over the years, especially of late. She actually seemed to know what was wrong with their motorcycles. From what she told him, it was what she had learned from spending time with Aoi. Kamamoto recalled the man. He used to take his bike to him for repairs before he (Aoi) got a job in Seneca.

Izumo shook his head. "She wasn't riding it. Some guy was riding it and she was his passenger, sitting behind him. I couldn't see his face because he had a helmet on,"

"How do you know it wasn't one of us?" Kamamoto asked.

"He didn't feel like a red clansmen," Izumo responded. He glanced at Anna. "He didn't seem like a good person either. Be careful, Anna,"

Mikoto had been listening in and had become quiet. He looked at Anna, as if trying to assess her thoughts. Then, he returned to his food.

"There's no one at school like that," Anna stated.

"Because you go to a girls' school," Mikoto put in. Anna glanced at him. He had suspicious eyes on.

"Yes...my school only has girls," Anna said slowly, not sure where he was going with it.

"But there's a boys' school next door and a High School," Mikoto stated.

Anna was glad that she had trained her expressions well over the years to not show much emotion. She knew she had to play her cards right because these men knew her well enough to sense when she did not want to talk and could possibly be hiding something. She did not want them to find out about Kei, knowing that they would overreact.

However, she also knew them well enough and knew how to deal with them; with her most innocent expression on, she blinked at Mikoto and said, "I am twelve years old today. Should I get interested in boys?"

Izumo and Kamamoto froze while Mikoto let out a frustrated breath.

"Uh...no! Of course not, Anna! You're too young!" Izumo said, trying to get her to not think it was alright for her to develop an early interest in them.

Anna merely nodded and finished her soup. Once she did so, she went into the living room to watch television there.

She would leave in a few hours' to return to Seneca.

Mikoto watched her go, his eyes remaining on her. He finished his own food and cleared away his dishes before going into the living room as well. Mikoto found her sitting on the double couch, watching some cartoon with a boy who threw red and white balls at animals with strange powers. If he recalled correctly, the name of the show was 'Pokemon'.

Anna was unmoving and her eyes were fixed on the television. Even if she grew a little, she was still very much like a child...yet very much like an adult. She could be so contrasting and yet so simple sometimes-a dichotomy that Mikoto sometimes found to be rather complicated for his lazy mind.

She was dainty. That was the word he could use to describe her. She was dainty, neat and little. Even if she grew taller he would still view her as dainty, neat and little just as he would probably always be regarded as tall, grumpy and lazy.

Mikoto shoved his hands in his pockets and sat beside her. She looked at him. He reclined his head against the backrest of the couch.

"Did you meet some strange guy?" he asked her.

Anna shook her head and returned her attention to the television.

Mikoto frowned at her. He removed a hand from his pocket and caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger and made her look at him.

With deadly softness, he questioned, "Anna, would you lie to me?"

She blinked at him in surprise. "Mikoto-"

He cut her off when his hand slid slowly to the side of her face, then to the top of her head. He lightly stroked her hair but she could feel that there was anger in his touch. He roughly nuzzled at her temple.

He growled softly against her hair, "Because if you ever do-"

"Mikoto, why are you bullying Anna again?" came Izumo's voice.

Mikoto froze and turned his head slightly so that his cheek was against Anna's hair. He glared at Izumo who had come into the living room.

"What do you want?"

"Haven't I told you Anna isn't well? It's her birthday too, and you're not being nice at all," Izumo scolded him.

Mikoto sneered at him but didn't let Anna go. He was behaving like a grumpy, possessive lion while Anna looked like a confused little rabbit. The pair was certainly an odd combination.

"You will have to forgive Mikoto, Anna. It seems that getting sick makes him extra moody," Izumo told her.

Mikoto was almost baring his teeth at Izumo. Izumo sighed at his friend's childishness, "Do try to be more gentle, Mikoto,"

Mikoto snorted and once his friend left, he went back to nuzzling Anna's hair, right above her ear. "Are you feeling better, Mikoto?" Anna asked softly.

Mikoto didn't answer. He let her go and went upstairs. Anna stared after him. She was a bit surprised that Mikoto had actually been threatening her about lying to him. It made her feel bad because she had, but she knew that it was better than he did not know about Kei...especially due to the teen's strange resemblance to their fallen comrade.

No matter what the others might say that he was rough when he handled her, the truth was that Mikoto was exceedingly gentle. His touch and his affection were always warm.

She wouldn't want or need for him to be any other way.

* * *

Mikoto knew that everytime Anna had to leave to go to Seneca, he would hold her very close to him as he slept because he didn't want her to leave his side. The thought of some guy taking her away from him made him feel as though that beast in him became enraged. He cared for Anna deeply...she was his security blanket and she soothed his rioting emotions and that part of him that wanted to fight and destroy. To have her taken away from his side would mean going back to that internal battle that he sometimes felt that he could loose to.

He turned his eyes to the child who was snuggled comfortably at his side. His arms went around her and he hugged her closer to him, the way a child would its favorite teddy bear. To have her taken away from his side by not just anyone, but some guy would mean he would never ever have her to himself as he did right now. Those thoughts were what Mikoto could not bear and he still had that niggling feeling that he had had since the mention of Anna's friends back in September of the year before.

But Anna said that she had met no 'strange guys' as Mikoto had put it, except for Aoi who was not strange at all.

And Anna wouldn't lie to him, would she?

* * *

On the way to Seneca, Natsume was sitting beside her in the car, having had to come to the city to do come business.

"Anna, this is your birthday gift from Izumo and Mikoto," Natsume told her, and handed her a large box covered in bright red paper.

Anna titled her head to the side, wondering why she had not been given it when she was home. Upon opening it, she realized why after she lifted the lid of the white box that had been covered in the red paper.

She gently lifted a red and white lolita dress out of it. It was the same one she saw in the window of the shop. She glanced at Natsume in shock.

The woman smiled kindly. "Izumo asked me if you seemed to eye anything with interest when we went shopping and I made arrangements with him to have you get it as a birthday gift. Do you like it?"

Anna, with lightly red cheeks, nodded.

"The next time you go back home, you will have to wear it, right?"

She nodded again.

* * *

"I spent time with my family," Anna replied to Kei's question after a long moment. She had worn the dress once to go back home in the final week of December. Upon entry into the bar and the removal of her coat, Izumo had gasped in delight and hugged her tightly, claiming that she looked very pretty and much older. Mikoto had glanced her way, arched an eyebrow then went back to half sleeping on the couch.

It had been a disappointing reaction although his quiet 'yeah' to Izumo's question to him about if he thought Anna looked lovely satisfied her and had made her blush deeply.

Anna now just needed shoes to go with her outfit...that beautiful red pair that had been on display would be perfect. She only had 1000 yen in her account now and she needed that for other basic expenses.

"Oh, I see. I spent some time with my brother because my parents didn't come back home," Kei told her.

He and Anna were walking out of the school grounds and into the courtyard. "How come?"

He shrugged. "They were busy,"

Anna knew that Kei could easily relate to Akemi in that way; they both had neglectful parents. "Hey Anna?"

"Yes?"

"Weren't we looking for Akemi?"

"Yes,"

"So why are we outside?"

"Because she's outside," Anna answered.

Kei looked confused. Then, he saw Akemi, wearing only her school uniform without a coat or scarf, digging through the frozen snow for something on the ground.

"What are you doing?" he demanded and hurried over to her, pulling her by her arms, away from her foolish actions.

"Let me go!" she struggled against him but couldn't quite get away because Kei had a firm hold on her wrists.

"What are you looking for?" Anna asked her.

Akemi stopped struggling. She became downcast. "I came out here for a minute and just took a little walk. I meant to come back right away, but my necklace fell out,"

"Necklace?" her friends repeated.

She nodded. "I always wear it under my clothes...my mom gave it to me,"

"Are you sure it's not in your clothes?" Kei questioned.

She shook her head. "I felt it slip from under my shirt. Now it's lost somewhere in the snow,"

Surrounding them was a vast field of snow that was ankle deep from a recent snowfall. Kei tsked and removed his scarf from around his neck. He gently tucked it around Akemi. She looked up at him in surprise.

He smiled gently. "You're cold, aren't you?"

She blushed lightly and nodded.

They turned around to see Anna who was walking a little distance away from them.

"Anna, what are you doing?" Kei demanded. He was surprised to see her slipping something that looked like a red marble into her skirt's pocket. She did it so quickly that he wondered if he saw correctly. Now that he thought about it, the first time he had met her, she had had a red marble between her fingers.

Before Kei could question further, Anna had stooped down and picked up something from the snow. She turned around and in her hand was a gold necklace.

Akemi hurried over and took it, then hugged Anna. "Anna, you're amazing! Thank you!"

Kei frowned. "Now that I think about it...you knew where to find Akemi too,"

Blankly, Anna responded, "I have a knack for finding things,"

She seemed to become more shuttered, making Kei more suspicious while Akemi was oblivious due to the joy of getting her necklace back.

"We better go back quickly," Kei said, giving Anna a deep frown. "it's cold and none of us are dressed warmly."

As the three friends sat in the lunchroom again, Akemi commented with a dismal sigh, "I'm poor,"

Her two friends glanced at her.

"You're poor? But isn't your dad really rich?" Kei asked.

"That old witch he has for a wife refuses to let him send me more than 500 yen a week!" Akemi growled in reply.

Kei gave her a flirtatious smile. "You know, I'd buy you anything you wanted, Akemi-chan," Before she could retort, he added just as sadly, "unfortunately, I'm broke too. My parents send only enough money to cover what my scholarship doesn't and my brother doesn't have enough to send more than a couple yen a week to me either," He turned to Anna with a faint smile, "I'm sure it's different for you, right?"

Anna shook her head. "My brother doesn't send a lot,"

"Really? How much is your allowance?"

"I don't get an allowance. He just sends me a few hundred yen every month," Anna replied.

The other two winced at her own seemingly worse, impoverished state. That made Kei wonder more about Anna because she seemed to be a well-guarded person, very princess-like, yet she didn't seem to be as rich as one might think.

"I wish we could make some money, then when we're allowed to go out on weekends I can buy some clothes from those cute shops," Akemi sighed miserably. She glanced at Anna. "Isn't there something you wish you could buy for yourself?"

Anna nodded, thinking about that pair of red shoes that would go with her pretty dress. Akemi turned to Kei. "And you?"

He gave a brilliant smile, "I'd spend it on women,"

"It's a good thing you're poor then," Akemi said with relief.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

"That you'd waste it!"

"Suppose I meant that I'd spend it on you?!"

Akemi glanced at him, "Would you?"

He shrugged. "I would have, but you ruined it when you said that I'd waste it. Too bad, Akemi,"

"I'm not that desperate, Kei,"

Anna coughed, causing them both to turn to her. She had coughed to cover a small chortle of laughter.

Suddenly, Kei grinned. "Hey, Anna, how good are you at finding things?"

"I'm good,"

"As in _really_, _really_ good?"

Anna narrowed her eyes slightly. Kei continued, "Because if you're _really_, _really_ good, maybe we can open a little business venture of our own and make some money off these loaded brats!"

* * *

**_A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, they really keep me going. I'm letting you all know from now that I can't be sure about if I can update as I used too. This week had a lot of stuff going on for me and from next week I'm officially back in Uni-I actually had a lot of running around recently because of it, and classes start next week :(_**

**_I also apologize for not posting this chapter sooner! I left a comment in the reviews section of this story, I'm not sure if anyone saw it where I stated that my stupid internet wasn't working. The chapter was supposed to be up since last night. I'm so, so sorry!  
_**

_**I would try to update when I can and as much as possible.** _

_xxtoushiro: Hm...who knows? :P_

_annashina: They probably would :)_

_Nobody Special: Hey that's a real compliment to me about the time skip. I appreciate it, and I'm glad to hear that you liked the recent chapters. Hope you enjoyed this one too :)_

_dragon's nest: I'm just glad to hear from you :) Thanks for the well wishes :)_

_Audiodelus: Your kind words made me feel warm :)_

_Titania: I think that the people on the internet who claimed that the anime would air on October 4th actually misunderstood because that was the air date for season 1 last year. I think creators and producers still haven't announced it yet (as far as I know). I'm glad to know you enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope you enjoyed this one too :)_

_Indochine: Aww...it made you dream? That's nice. Yeah I think Aquascans said they should finish the translations this week. I saw the scans and they made me laugh! So I really can't wait for the the next chapter! College is tough huh? Don't worry, I feel your pain..._

_Mugi-pyon: Glad to hear from you!...by the way, who's Kyou and Kagamin? Ah nevermind, I'll look it up :) I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far and hope to hear from you again soon :)_

_Ambivalencia: I think she probably looks as adorable as ever with a ponytail :)_

_nekoikoi: You were hospitalized? Are you alright now? I hope so! (Will pray for you). Glad you're enjoying the story :)_

_Blueeyes775: Your words are a real compliment to me, however you may say it and I appreciate it. Thanks so much :)_

_Mienchan-ish: Mikoto is just an affection lion :)_

_Shiary: I had a weird dream where I was writing in responses to people's reviews at the end of the latest chapter and I dreamed that after I posted it, I forgot to respond to you and I got upset because I forgot! It was such a strange dream! Hope I never forget! I'm glad you liked the chapter :)_

_foreverheartamnoscc: I'm happy that you really enjoyed the last chapter, especially the chess part :)_

_Bree Renee: Thanks for having so much confidence in me. I really appreciate it. I'm still working out the plot, but it's there in my mind right now and it will be introduced soon :)_

_fearfulfears: You swatted it? I would have run, then searched for a book or something to kill it dead...thanks for your lovely words about the story, I appreciate it :)_

_Yuuna-chan: Thanks for your lovely reviews, I appreciate it :)_

_iCooky: That scene with Izumo crushing their heads was exactly what I had in mind when I wrote in that part :) I know it would be weird to see Anna grow up and sometimes I feel reluctant about continuing the story because a part of me doesn't want her to grow up :/ But then I think that I'd like to write it to the end because a grown up Anna would be just as cute as a little one and the interactions she has as a grown up with her clan would be really interesting :)_

_tamachon: I think the only other anime that I watched with Yui's voice was Vampire Knight (she voiced Yuki, right?) a long time ago, so I really can't imagine it being tsundere. Glad you liked the story though, and I hope you like the future chapters too :)_

_D: It would be weird for a twenty-five year old man to get in a relationship with a child. That would be just wrong. I'm still figuring out the next plot and how to get it into order. I already know how I'm ending the story (which is still a long way off) but I do have a nice idea for the middle part of it and I hope you enjoy it :)_

_ladeste: I know, right? He was such a wonderful character! And after the anime, all I could think about Gora was, 'how...could...you? HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ANNA? She's already been through so much!'_

_ravyncl: Yesterday I hadn't really planned on updating and then I saw your review and I thought, 'okay, I don't want to disappoint this person'. I'm so sorry I made you wait so long for this chapter. My internet was really giving me so much trouble last night and I couldn't post it up! I felt so badly, especially when I thought of you, who told me that you check every three hours! :( I really can't promise to update as regularly as I used to, and I'm not quite sure about how often it would be, especially once next week starts. I'm really sorry but I hope you continue to enjoy this story :)  
_

_Guest: I love soaking chapters with Anna/Mikoto fluff because I love them both so much :) Mikoto will meet Kei, maybe not soon but he will eventually :)_

_Random Reviewer: Thank you so much! I appreciate your kind words! I would write in more Izumo/Seri stuff depending on how the latest chapter from the K manga goes. I think it should be released this week, so once it does I would know if to write it or not :)_

_Nevertheless: Your reviews made me smile. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much :)_

_Ihadyprilla: So good to hear from you! And I'm glad you liked the recent chapters! It doesn't seem like animals like Yata at all! You need to be really careful with your health especially if it's due to your eating habits; it could cause complications as you get older (sorry if I sound naggy) Well, the romance comes along as Anna grows ;) PS: Thanks for PMing me the errors. I'm gonna double check them soon :)  
_

**_You all motivate me and encourage me to keep writing. Thank you so much :)_**

**_A big thank you also to all those who follow and favorite this story. _**

**God bless:)**

**What did you think of this chapter?**

**Kei has a plan! I also don't really know what exactly are the prices of items in Japan, but since 1USD is approximately 100 Yen (89.97 is the exact amount I think), then Kei, Akemi and Anna have a pretty bad financial situation although they're going to a high class school. Good thing they're just kids.  
**

**P.S: I'm curious: did the writers ever mention anything on Mikoto's parents? Or even Izumo's?**


	27. Black Jacket

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 27: Black Jacket

"What's tundra woman doing here?" Mikoto asked with mild irritation as he sat down at the bar, a chair away from Scepter 4's Vice Captain. He had seen so much of the color blue over the entire fiasco with the Rise that he was so sick of it. He had once confided in Izumo that he would rather seen an overcast sky, than a clear blue one for he had come to hate blue so much.

Seri did not wish to banter with the Red King, so she merely stated, "I came to pay an old friend a visit,"

Mikoto tsked while Izumo, smiling cheerfully, set a glass of water in front of him. Mikoto didn't really care who came by the bar because it was Izumo's property, despite him being the King.

"Does that woman know you're here?" Mikoto asked after drinking his water.

Seri, who had been more relaxed with Izumo before, froze and immediately her expression was every bit that as Lieutenant Awashima Seri of the Blue Clan. Coldly, she glanced at the Red King. "If you are speaking about my King-"

"It seems even she knows how feminine he looks," Chitose commented from a far corner of the bar. Maria, for once, wasn't with him. She had an assignment to do, and therefore could not spend the day lazing around with Chitose.

"He has a very handsome face," Seri defended her King.

"He nags like an old woman," Mikoto said.

Seri scowled, her face getting an angry flush. "The color red suits you, Suoh Mikoto. Violent, bad tempered and uncouth. Just as your clansmen are. I truly despise the color red."

Mikoto sighed and got up from his chair. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked over to the sofa where his jacket was. He shrugged and said in an off-hand manner, "For a person who dislikes red so much, you drink a lot of it,"

Seri automatically glanced at the glass in front of her. It was a cocktail that had been mixed and strained with red bean paste.

Seri's cheeks reddened angrily. She finished her drink quickly, dropped some cash on the counter curtly bid Izumo goodbye.

Mikoto, meanwhile, reached down to grab his jacket that was looking strangely lumpy.

He grasped the sleeve of it and attempted to pull it up in one swift movement.

He paused when he saw something white and ethereal under it, for a moment making him wonder if there was a pixie or some strange mythical creature snoozing under his clothing.

He blinked twice, realizing it was Anna, and she was hugging the jacket to her. Mikoto tried to tug it away again, but she pulled it from him and rolled to her side, facing the backrest of the couch, snuggling it to her.

Frowning, Mikoto glanced at Izumo who was smirking. "She's treating her jacket the way you treat her when I get her out of bed for school on mornings,"

Mikoto clicked his tongue in annoyance. "That's not true," he said and tried to pull the jacket away again.

It would be easy to just tug it away from her, but he didn't want to wake her...and she also looked so comfortable, napping with it like that.

Earlier that day, Anna had curled up on the couch, cuddling under Mikoto's jacket that was full of his scent, offering her a pleasant comfort on a cold day. Today was extra cold as Shizume City tended to have freezing temperatures in mid-February which could actually be a lot worse than the temperatures in December.

It seemed that Mikoto had come home around lunchtime and left his jacket on the couch in the bar. Izumo had been busy with customers who were ducking in for an alcoholic beverage to warm their insides so he did not move it.

Anna took advantage of the coat later when she come downstairs in her thin red dress with the black buttons that she had bought for herself. She sat down on the couch and found the place to be chilly, despite the heater being on. She supposed she was more sensitive to the cold because she didn't have any stockings on and because she was so thin.

So, she lifted the black, fur lined jacket and observed it with a serious expression. Then, she lay down on the couch and threw it over her quickly. She furled and unfurled herself, rolled around a little until she found a comfortable position.

The jacket fit like a tent over her once she tucked her knees up to her stomach and curled her toes away from the edge of his jacket. It was still warm from him and contained his scent. Izumo had seen what she was doing and had smiled at how she really reminded him of a quiet, scurrying little animal. She had fallen asleep right away, surrounded by the familiarity of Mikoto.

Mikoto sighed and took a seat beside her. Her feet were very close to his long leg. Mikoto lightly created a red aura that acted like flames against her little toes, lightly tickling them. They began to wiggle in response.

Mikoto found her reaction to be interesting and gently had his aura engulf her and lightly play over soft white skin, tickling it, gently lashing at it. Anna released a soft sigh that seemed to indicate that she was enjoying it. She kept on sleeping, lulled by Mikoto's familiar warmth.

Chitose observed the two. He smiled gently. "Mikoto shows tenderness only to her, huh?"

Izumo smiled lightly as he removed Seri's empty glass and wiped the countertop to make it all smooth, shiny and clean. None of the clan members had ever really witnessed Mikoto's affection for Anna as he had been privileged to see on occasions-like when he hugged her in his sleep and refused to let her go.

"She's special," Izumo offered as an explanation.

Chitose looked at Izumo. "What's with you and that lady from Scepter 4?"

Izumo shrugged. "We're old friends," he replied.

"Old friends?" Chitose asked as he took a swig from his beer bottle.

Izumo turned to the liquor section behind him and picked up two bottles that he began to use to mix a cocktail for himself.

"Awashima Seri and I met a few years ago, after Anna joined Homra. We flirted with each other,"

"Was she any different from how she is now?" Chitose asked.

"You shouldn't let Maria hear you ask about another woman," Izumo warned him.

Chitose grinned. "What she doesn't know won't hurt her,"

_'But it might hurt you if she ever finds out'_, Izumo was tempted to say, but continued his story nonetheless. "She was a bit. She was always calm, cool and collected but there were times when that icy way she had about her cracked and I could reach through and find someone else...someone more warm,"

"And then what happened?"

"She got accepted into Scepter 4 and became a frozen blade of ice," Izumo replied.

Chitose frowned at his words. "You mean you could have had something, until she became a Blue clansman?"

"Something like that,"

"How do you feel about it?"

Izumo shrugged and sipped at his drink. "I miss her company. She had stopped speaking to me for a period of time and tried to avoid me during that time with the Rise when we had to work together. I suppose it might have been because of her King,"

"Her King?"

"Munakata Reisi is not a blind man. I am quite sure he sees Seri's value as more than just a clansman, but as a woman,"

"You mean he has feelings for her?"

Izumo sighed. "Who knows? Perhaps he's simply amused by how far Seri and I would go while there's that clan loyalty that divides us,"

"That's very cold," Chitose remarked with a lopsided frown.

"He _is_ the Blue King," Izumo said. He looked thoughtful, "He isn't blind to us and maybe in his own way he pities us. Well, Seri did end up in the Blue clan, and she's a cold hearted woman so there's no way she could really be satisfied with someone from a clan that's full of fire and heat,"

Chitose frowned, "But why does she keep coming back here?"

Izumo smiled a bit sadly, and a bit bitterly, "From time to time even she gets tired of being frozen and wants to temporarily be thawed. So she comes here,"

Their conversation was distracted by the soft sigh from the couch that came from Anna. She was starting to stir.

Mikoto was still beside her, but was calmly smoking a cigarette.

"Hey, Kusanagi-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Does being part of the Red Clan give you any regrets?"

Izumo observed as Anna gently opened her eyes while Mikoto turned his attention to her after releasing a puff of smoke. Mikoto's eyes were always observant on Anna. He paid very close attention to her, despite what one might think.

The tenderness that Chitose had commented on was reflected in the lion's golden eyes as his gaze remained upon the precious cub that was under his care.

Such a sight was not one that was often seen and Izumo replied honestly, "I've never had any regrets at all, Chitose,"

* * *

Slowly, Anna's eyelashes fluttered up, revealing to pools of gray. She turned onto her back and blinked, catching sight of Mikoto. She took a moment to realize what he was doing and she recalled the events of the day earlier.

Thinking he might be a little upset with her for hogging his jacket, she sat up, hugging it to her shyly and looking down. Her long, long hair was spilling around her, covering her thin arms and pale skin.

She really did look other-worldly.

Ethereal.

Unreal.

Odd.

Maybe even fairy-like.

But certainly not like a normal human.

Chitose passed by and lightly patted her head. "You look like a waif, Anna, but you're still adorable as ever,"

Anna looked at him and blinked. A waif?

Izumo and Mikoto glanced at her.

Perhaps she really did with her blood red dress with the short puffed sleeves and black buttons. It reached her to a little more than above her knees and her arms and legs were completely bare. She was thin which was not unusual. Izumo had become used to seeing her like that occasionally when she returned to Homra during the school term because her cycle had a serious toll on her body.

Her hair was loose and falling around her and had become a bit untidy after her scuffle with Mikoto's jacket.

Chitose would have kissed her cheek before he left but he could sense Mikoto's possessiveness. Their leader did not mind when they hugged her or gave her a little affectionate kiss. However, there were certain times when they touched her, not in a strange perverted way (because the men of Homra stopped when it came to violence against children), but by hugging her too much, trying to cuddle her or just lingering too much with their affection, he would seem to become a bit irked.

Chitose was a man who understood boundaries and he would fight tooth and nail against anyone who impeded on his, and therefore he would not cross anyone else's-especially Mikoto's. He smiled warmly left. Anna turned her head and watched him go through the door.

"A waif, huh?" Mikoto muttered around his cigarette.

Anna turned back to him. He reached across and pried his jacket loose from her. He was about to shrug it over himself before he glanced at her again. She was kneeling on the couch with her hands neatly on her lap, gazing at him with her usual blank face on.

He did not know why he did it, but he suddenly had an urge to just drop his jacket over her to see how she would behave. So, he did.

He glanced at Anna who was struggling to get his jacket off from her. He leaned his elbow on the armrest and placed his head on his fisted hand and observed her. It was quite fascinating to watch Anna.

It seemed that the jacket was like an endless black tent on her, which starkly contrasted with her white hair and very pale skin. The more of it she pulled over her, the more of it seemed to remain on her. The only indication of her frustration over her predicament was her irritated grunt when she shuffled under it again and tried to shove it away. Unknowingly, she was actually pulling the jacket in circles over her.

Finally, fed up, she turned to Mikoto with wide eyes. "Mikoto..." she mumbled.

He didn't smile, smirk or outwardly show his amusement. He simply snatched the end of it and pulled it from her.

"Why did you that?" she questioned.

Mikoto merely shrugged at her. He was not really a man to act on a whim, but somehow he found that little actions she made that was outside of her doll-like character intrigued him. Whether it be her strange zeal for omurice or the way she stretched before waking up, he found her reminding him more and more of some kind of little quiet animal. Even Izumo had commented on it before. "She's the cub who acts like a little rabbit despite being the favorite toy of the great Red King," was the weird description Izumo had given to him.

Mikoto had not been amused by the word 'toy'. It seemed too wrong to use when referring to the relationship between a man well into his twenties and a girl who was barely a teen.

"Ah, Mikoto, we're out of cigarettes," Izumo stated.

Mikoto glanced at him. "What?"

"We're-"

"I heard you. Why did they finish so quickly?" Mikoto demanded, quite annoyed.

Cigarettes were dangerous and cancerous and no, neither he nor Izumo cared to stop smoking, much less anyone else who already did so in Homra. Except for Kamamoto. Whenever he wanted to loose weight, he would start smoking instead of eating. When he wanted to gain, he would stop smoking and turn to eating. It was his way of replacing one bad habit for another.

"Well, we had three packs remaining that were supposed to last until the delivery truck came later but I got more customers than usual this morning. Then Chitose came by and Kamamoto has started back in order to go in accordance with his weight-loss for the summer,"

Those two men probably smoked like chimneys and left more ash behind than a fireplace, Mikoto thought, irritated. But then again, he was just as bad.

Sighing, he stood up and put on his jacket. He glanced at Anna, figuring that he should try to make it up to her for using her as a small source of amusement when he dropped his jacket on her.

"Get your stockings on. I'll take you to the store,"

"My stockings are too small," she informed him.

Both he and Izumo frowned at that. "I was supposed to go shopping with Natsume-san but we didn't get to,"

"How come?" Izumo questioned.

"Hospital," she replied and that was enough for them to understand.

And that was how Mikoto, wearing on a fur lined black jacket, looking hardcore and so grunge-like, ended up in a girly shop that specialized in lace, frills, ribbons and other feminine accessories. He was, unfortunately, sitting next to a rack of pretty pink and blue bras while he kept an unlit cigarette in his mouth (since smoking was not allowed in the shop).

It was a well known fact that women were attracted to bad boys. There were bad boys, there were _really_ bad boys, there were _really_ _really_ bad boys...and there were plain scary men-like Mikoto.

The females of the store knew Anna quite well and they often looked forward to her visits. She used to come in quite often with the handsome, sweet Tatara Totsuka. He was quite gentle and not really a flirt, but polite and kind. The girls had all grieved upon learning of his death.

They had not minded that he had been a part of a group of men who were well known for being scary in the city. In fact they thought that these guys probably weren't all that bad because the other two-Chitose and Kamamoto were quite sweet and flirtatious. They were handsome men and the girls always doted upon them, and Anna. Who could ignore sweet, adorable Anna?

However, this was the first time she came in with the feared leader. He was brooding, quiet and scary. No doubt he was gorgeous and made them wonder what it would be like to be touched by those large, rough looking hands of his, but they were too afraid of him for he looked like the type who would curse upon the sight of their faces.

So, they kept warily to the back and helped Anna when she needed it. In fact, they even refused to meet eyes with him.

Anna returned after a couple of minutes with a pretty lilac bag with the shop's logo on it, containing two new white stockings.

Anna wondered if Mikoto realized how out of place he looked. However, knowing him, he probably didn't care and just wanted to get out so that could light his cigarette.

When she approached him, he looked at her and she nodded to his unspoken question-yes, she had gotten the two pairs of stockings she wanted. She had had to dress in a long sleeved red shirt and a pair of jeans and her school sneakers to come out. Now, she had a lovely set of stockings to go with her dresses-and a certain pair of shoes she had been eying for so long.

As Mikoto and Anna walked down the street in the dark outside, Anna held onto the edge of the jacket she had fallen asleep with earlier. It was definitely cold, freezing and the air had a bite to it. But Anna was well protected because of Mikoto's warmth.

Mikoto frowned as he recalled something. "How did you pay for it?"

Anna had been hoping that he wouldn't ask her that and that it would simply slip his mind as something insignificant.

* * *

"A lot of times, these rich brats loose their stuff," Kei told Anna and Akemi. "sometimes it's during club activities, or just wandering around like Akemi. If we can-"

"No," Anna cut in.

"You didn't let me finish!"

"No, I will not track down the items these children lost and have them pay us for finding them,"

"Why not? We won't be breaking school rules!"

"Rule 33: Students cannot have business ventures without school permission," Anna pointed out.

"Who said we were doing anything like breaking rules? We're going to start up our own club!" Kei commented.

Anna and Akemi turned to him. "You see, every semester clubs are set up in the school and the members are given a certain sum of money to carry out their activities per month,"

"No," Anna repeated.

"You didn't let me finish again!"

"You want us to set up a club to find stuff for people who have lost their items. Since you think it won't cost much to set up the club, you want to use the leftover cash for personal ventures," Anna stated.

"Are you some kind of mind-reader? Because if you are, you've misread some things!" Kei said, angry at her.

"What did she misread then? I too think that's what your plan is," Akemi stated.

Kei grinned and they could almost see his nose grow pointy with arrogant satisfaction. "Not quite! You see, it won't be underhanded as you make it out to be!"

"You didn't misread him at all then," Akemi said.

Anna nodded in agreement.

"I'm trying to say that we would actually get paid for it!" Kei snapped.

Both girls frowned at him. "Paid?" they repeated in unision.

"Yes! Normally teachers head the clubs but there are still some headed by students! Since we are carrying out something that's like a service to the students, the school board would consider that to be an expense that should be paid so they will simply pay us for providing the service!"

"Isn't that like child labor?" Akemi commented.

"Child labor occurs when the employment of children proves to be detrimental to different aspects of the development of the child," Anna said with a straight face.

Her two friends were stunned by her words. "Why don't you ever sound like a normal Middle School kid? Are you even thirteen?" Kei asked.

"Twelve,"

"Eh?"

"I'm twelve,"

Kei was stunned. "But you don't look that way!"

Anna sighed. "You were mentioning how to make money?"

"Oh yeah," Kei said and smiled. "well, if we approach your principal about it, I'm sure she would agree."

Akemi narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why not your principal?"

Kei visibly shuddered. "Have you ever seen that guy in action? He's terrible!"

Anna blinked her pretty grey eyes. "Terrible?" she repeated.

He nodded. "He's the scariest man you'd ever come across. He's mean, strict and truly frightening!"

Haru Natsume? Frightening? That was hard to believe.

The Haru that Anna had come across was like a grandpa. He sat at the dinner-table and let his wife and son carry on fighting like cats and dogs. He was even-tempered and gave her a hug every time she went away back to Shizume City. He once sat at her bedside in the medical faculty, reading her original Hans Christian Anderson Stories.

"How is...Haru Natsume-sensei terrible?" Anna questioned.

Kei had a expression of doom on his face. "Haru is a master in martial arts and I've heard that when a kid is bad enough, he interviews them the way they interview criminals and if a kid gets into a fight, he has them training in the field...and he trains them like a drill sergeant does a cadet,"

Anna had a feeling that this might actually be true about the very mellow man she frequently had dinner with. After all, he was a member of the Red Clan and the Red Clan were known for being rather...bad tempered and resorting to extreme measures.

Perhaps it might be better to ask his wife instead.

Kei grinned and changed the topic, "So, what do you think of my plan to create a new club?"

"Wait, so we'll basically be searching for kids' lost items?" Akemi said.

He nodded.

Anna blinked and thought back to something he said earlier. "You mentioned that we would be making money off the other students. How?"

Kei looked a bit reluctant to talk then. "Well..."

"Well?" Akemi prompted.

"Sometimes to get us to work faster, some of these brats may offer us a little extra cash," Kei answered.

Anna shook her head. "We will not accept bribes,"

"Come on, think of the extra money!" Kei argued.

Anna glanced at Akemi. She seemed to be willing to resort to those measures. Anna informed them, "We can form the club, and you can do what you want but I won't be accepting any bribes. The only money I will take is what the school pays us-_if_ they pay us,"

* * *

"Anna-chan, the club that you and Crystal-Belle-or should I say Akemi-proposed was Kei's idea, wasn't it?" Natsume had asked Anna at the dinner table.

Anna looked at her and nodded.

Haru, for the first time ever, had an evil smirk on his face. "If that brat didn't have such a bad health condition..." his voice trailed off and Anna realized that Haru was definitely a very frightening principal.

"Dad, are you still picking on little kids? Why don't you become principal of the High School again, that would make things easier for everyone," Ryosuke said.

"I like dealing with these little creatures, Ryosuke. They're right at the age where proper discipline should be mete out,"

Anna wondered what Ryosuke's childhood was like with a dad like that. She unwittingly sensed that Haru was very loving and paternal at home, but Ryosuke attended school when his father was principal and he was treated as just another student there and he was trained like a soldier if he misbehaved.

"It's a good idea. I know you won't get into any mischief but I don't really trust those other two. Especially Kei,"

Anna couldn't blame her. Kei was already planning to do something underhanded.

Natsume continued, "I am granting you permission to set up the club but I want details of what all the money forwarded to you is used for and once it is deemed an acceptable service, you will be given financial reimbursement and you will also be given additional credit as this in itself is considered a big responsibility. Anna, I trust you and therefore you will have to be the president of the club,"

It was simply called the 'Finders' Club'. It was established in mid-January. Kei knew the cost of all the equipment they would need-mainly technological such as computers etc, while Akemi knew a bit about accounts so she handled making a presentation of the drafts of the cost of the equipment. They were given a room for themselves upstairs in one of the buildings where club activities were held. It was not overly large, but more than big enough to accommodate the three members as well as two tables and two laptops and four chairs.

Since they were paid already for their work, they were not allowed to use any leftover money from what was forwarded to them by the school for personal use and Natsume kept a close check on their purchases.

Akemi handled printing out flyers and promoting their club and to their surprise, many kids came forward, stating that they had lost items or that some items had been stolen.

For a large part, they used the security tapes that they were allowed access to in order to find the items, after interviewing the whereabouts of the students when they had lost it. Anna tried her best not to use her marbles, but she did on occasion when they could not find any items.

"Wow, Anna really does have a knack for finding things!" Akemi exclaimed one day as a male student happily hugged a pure gold pen to his heart that he had thought he had lost a month ago.

The truth was that Anna would use her marbles on the map of Seneca School Grounds, given to her by Natsume when the club had just started. She would use them in her room at Natsume's house and would locate the item. It was also good practice for her for using her power.

"She certainly does," Kei agreed, somewhat seriously.

* * *

"So you became President of a club that finds things," Mikoto repeated, which was basically what Anna had told him.

She nodded. "Since it really acts like a service to the school, we get paid for it,"

"You use your power?"

She nodded.

"Do any of the other members know?"

She shook her head.

"I see," Mikoto murmured as they approached the bar. He said nothing more.

And he would not.

As long as she was safe, he would let her do what she wanted because she was generally a responsible child.

What bothered him was that she hadn't mentioned it to Izumo yet. Anna was a person who would not willingly speak about herself if she wasn't asked unless she felt it necessary to do so. She would tell Izumo something like this when he asked about school and her various club activities.

Mikoto supposed that it was probably because she hadn't really gotten around to speaking to anyone since she came back.

It never occurred to him that she had been deliberately vague.

After all, she did not want Mikoto to know that she was working quite closely with someone of the opposite sex who looked very much, and in many ways, was like their deceased friend.

* * *

The heart was quite a confusing thing. Seri admired her King very, very much but he was a person whose heart she felt that she could never touch. He was quite kind and very much a good man, but there always seemed to be a wall around him.

There many times she tried to reach out in subtle ways to him, but there was always that barrier. It made him even colder than her. It was during these times that she found herself at Izumo's bar. Izumo was a completely different man from her King. They were definitely opposites in appearance because Reisi had blue-black hair while Izumo had blonde.

Yet, with Izumo she could find herself opening up. He could easily make her reveal all her secrets if she did not keep her guard up. He was skillful with his words and very observant. He always knew more than what she said and he always had good advice to give. She did not think that she would ever come across a man more understanding of her than him.

He often called her 'cold hearted' because of the way she would freeze off his advances, save for that incident a couple months ago when she gave him the data on Strains...and right before she became a part of Scepter 4. Back then, there were light touches of fingers brushing against each other, small smiles on her part and teasing on his. It was fun flirting with him and she enjoyed playing hard to get and freezing him off. She disliked his clan for she preferred a sense of peace rather than the violent nature of the Red Clan.

_A large warm hand cupped her cheek over the bar counter and a thumb lightly brushed away a speck of red bean paste from the corner of her mouth. The good looking man in front of her smiled. "You are really are a very pretty woman, Seri-chan,"_

_"Why do you keep calling me in that overly familiar way?" she demanded and pulled back her head. _

_Izumo grinned. "Because it annoys you,"_

_She almost glowered at him, but kept her composure. Yet, something stirred in her. He noticed little things about her, besides her fantastic physical make up. That was a lot more than what other men gave regard to her for. Seri was a woman who could appreciate that much. _

Then, she became a part of Scepter 4, who, like her, disliked the Red Clan's rowdiness.

Yet, she was always attracted to Izumo. She had come to respect her king very much and would follow after him even to death. Over time, that respect changed to something more because she found that they both had similar visions and ideas.

Yet, Reisi would always have that wall between them and she understood that it was because he was a king, battling with that power in him and that not only was his power burdensome, but the many responsibilities he had also proved to be quite tiresome.

She recalled one time that he had fallen asleep at his desk.

_Pitying him, she had taken his blue jacket and placed it around his shoulders. She proceeded to help finish the big pile of paperwork he had. When he opened his eyes, he had been surprised to see it all done and that there was a cup of still steaming tea beside him._

_Seri entered his office in time to see him looking around, confused at as to why his desk was clear of all work, why he had tea and why his coat was warmly covering him._

_"Did you do this, Awashima?" he questioned as he stood up._

_"Yes sir," she responded. He frowned at her._

_"Please don't ever do it again," he said to her._

_Seri was surprised at his words. She did not question him about it, simply coolly bowed and replied, "My apologizes, sir,"_

_Then she turned and strode out of the office._

_He was a man of ice, creating walls around him and she always felt as though she was standing behind those walls, watching him, wanting to come in but he never would let her in._

Unlike him, she could melt and Izumo could do so. She also knew that he also suspected that she had developed feelings for her King. Izumo would probably understand too that it was because she worked so closely with him. He would accept it and wish her well, for that was the kind of man he was.

It wasn't as though her feelings for Izumo had disappeared. They were still there but that clan loyalty issue was always there between them and she was quite certain that there could be no future for her.

The unfortunate thing was that the other man she had fallen for seemed to not really want any future with anyone. Which was probably worse.

And unlike Izumo, Seri sometimes did have second thoughts about being in the Blue Clan. She could not find herself in the Red Clan for they were too violent for her, but there were times when she was all alone, when she was upset with Reisi's strong walls that she would wish so badly that there were no such things as Kings and Clans and that there was a possibility that she could have been with Izumo, the one who would melt that ice in her.

Maybe then she wouldn't have met Reisi and found herself working so closely with someone she liked so much. Maybe she could have simply been happier just living a simple life somewhere with Izumo. And yet even then, she would think about how much their personalities clashed.

In truth, Seri figured that the fault was her own for developing an interest in someone at a highly professional level while still liking, and still subtly keeping interest in someone who she should have cut ties with a long time ago.

As Seri walked down the cold street in the night, she thought self derisively, or maybe I'm just a fickle, stupid woman.

Her attention drifted when she saw a woman pushing a pram with a very adorable baby in it. The mother had ensured that her baby was warm by covering him with warm blankets and a hat. It seemed that the child threw his rattle onto the pavement. Before Seri could reach for it, someone stepped in front of her, wearing a long black coat. He stooped, picked it up and handed it to the child.

The man was very handsome with blue black hair and glasses. The baby chortled when it heard the noise and the man smiled warmly.

"You're quite contented now, aren't you?" he asked the baby and gave him his rattle. The baby looked up happily and the man stood up.

The mother thanked him before pushing the pram further along.

Seri remained stunned at the sight of her King, wearing on casual black pants and a dark blue shirt under his long coat. She had never seen him make such an expression. His smiles were always either very polite or slight smirks when he knew something his enemy did not.

Reisi looked at her. He was quite tall, and although he had somewhat of a feminine face, he was quite handsome.

"You reek of toxic smoke," Reisi stated.

That forced a memory from Seri, back on the day she had given Izumo the data and had walked out of the alley.

_Seri could still feel Izumo's arms around her, and his cigarette breath, mixed with mint on her lips. She wished that Anna and the Red King hadn't happened upon them at that time, then she could have finally kissed Izumo, something that she denied she wanted to do, but often still fantasized about it._

_As she turned out of the alley, a voice said behind her, "I see the Red Clan still enjoys their cheap cigarettes,"_

_Seri froze at the sound of her King's voice. She turned around slowly to look at him, trying hard not to let her nervousness or fear show. She had met with someone from the Red Clan, had a personal interaction with him while still in uniform and had given him information without the Blue Clan's knowledge. _

_Seri already had had to deal with an angry Izumo earlier...to also deal with an angry Reisi..._

_Reisi walked up to her. The wind blew around them, and some of Seri's hair fell out of place and onto her forehead._

_Reisi lifted a hand and she fought hard to keep a neutral expression on and not cringe. However, he merely gently pushed the strand of her hair back and tucked it behind her ear. _

"_I trust your decisions and actions, Awashima," he told her, before turning away. Yet, she could almost hear him say, 'But don't push it anymore than this'._

_Ever since then, she avoided Izumo as much as possible, thinking that her King would get angry at her._

"I went to see an old friend," Seri told her King uncomfortably.

Reisi sighed. "I see," he murmured. "I will walk you home, Awashima,"

Seri frowned. "I would be fine. I can take care of myself,"

"It still wouldn't be alright for me to let a young woman walk home at this hour," Reisi told her and grabbed her arm. He pointed toward north. "you live this way, right?"

Seri nodded, a bit uncertainly.

'I'm a fool', she thought miserably, 'for falling for two men who I have no future with'.

As they walked down the road together in silence, Seri wondered just really and truly, what sort of person Reisi was before he had become King.

* * *

Tomorrow was school again. As soon as she arrived in school, she would have club activities with Finders' club. Since all her time was taken up in the afternoon and evenings with other clubs, mornings were set aside for Finders'.

She did look forward to seeing Natsume and her family as well as Kei and Akemi but for the moment, Anna was contented to remain as she was, lying on her back with Mikoto's large arms around her. He was lying on his side as he held her closely so that he could nuzzle his favorite spot at her temple which made her sleepy.

She was surrounded by his warmth, and held close to his very lithe body. She was safe here.

And right at this moment, she had no desire to be anywhere else.

* * *

**A/N: I got the idea about Seri and Izumo and Munakata largely based on Seri's character song, K Radio Drama 7 and the recent manga chapter. I have no idea about what the future for those three are relationship-wise but I do think that there's a lot that can be assumed for now. In this chapter, Seri really is a bit pitiful because she likes two men very very much and yet there seems to be no future for her for either one of them. **

**I don't know when next I would write about Seri's relationships because I kind of like the idea that there's a lot of bittersweetness between her and Izumo due to clan loyalty and there's that wall between her and Munakata. I actually want to write more on it, but it would end up becoming like a dead end love triangle. Maybe I would write stuff on them, maybe I won't. Just depends on how things go. **

**What do you think about Seri/Munakata, and if there's a possibility for those two? **

**Sorry for this very late update. University started back and I may get a job soon, in about a month's time. I hope everyone keeps enjoying the chapters despite potentially late updates. **

**I also need to thank these people:**

**Aquascans: these are the guys who translate K: Memory of Red for us. A huge thank you to them, and thanks so much for mentioning me at the end of the last chapter.**

**The following people are from tumblr:**

**Trashbunny: This person translated a couple of chapters from K: Side Red.**

**Zeheart: This person also did some translations of the beginning of K: Side Red.**

**Marchen v Friedhof: This person gave a lot of explanations about what happened in K: Side Red and K: Side Blue and gives constant updates on K, such as Gora's tweets. **

**sassygayyata: This person translated the last portion of K: Side Red**

**Also, Kirroro who gave a translation of Seri's character song.**

**A huge thank you to all these guys for all their hard work in translating and giving us an opportunity to understand the other media on K.**

**Thank you all so much, all of you who reviewed the last chapter:**

**FireRaven99: Glad you know you're enjoying the chapters, and it means a lot to me that you like the OC's. That truly means a lot to me :)**

**Titania: Thanks! I'm gonna need all the luck I can get! Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)  
**

**val615: Hey, it's great that you got a job! Hope you're enjoying it! And thanks so much for your kind words :)  
**

**nekoikoi: ooooh that does not sound like you had a nice experience at all, but I am so glad that you're alright. Yes, it's a lost and found service that they're are doing :)**

**Indochine: Hey so glad to hear from you and thanks so much for your kind words! What did you think of the new manga chapter? I laughed at it, especially the part with Mikoto riding the bike! I hope you're doing okay too!  
**

**Guest: Well, now you know, and hope you look forward to the next chapter as well :)  
**

**TheRoseShadow21: They will find out, but I can't tell you when ;)  
**

**ravyncl: Well, I will reveal Kei's past in good time but the reason why he was able to pick up on how Anna is different from other girls, is because she does stand out so he's not the only one who sees that she's different in that she's so much like a doll. He's also around her more often and therefore can pick up on certain things about her through basic observations. Hope that helps and I'm glad you liked that chapter :)**

**Mizuouji: Thanks so much for your kind words. When you told me that the next Memory of Red chapter would be out, I realized that you were probably a scanalators. Thanks so much for all your hard work and I always look forward to the chapters. God bless :)  
**

**Mienchan-ish: I've been really curious about their parents lately :/ I guess we may find out later on. Glad you enjoyed the chapter :)  
**

**Bree Renee: I am so happy to know that you still enjoy the story, even so many chapters later. Thanks so much for always reviewing. I already figured out the plot that I want to put in. It still won't be very soon that Mikoto and Kei meet, but they will eventually :) I haven't watched Pokemon in years and the only time I liked Pokemon was with the first seasons that I grew up with, with all the original characters and there were about I think only a hundred and fifty pokemon. LOL. **

**nannerlovessnickers: Honestly, I was tempted to have Anna partake in some serious mischief with Kei and Akemi but it would be totally out of character for her to do so because she would end up doing something that would largely be frowned upon by administration and because she owes Natsume so much, she would not want to do anything that broke the school rules. She's still letting Akemi and Kei so what they want ;) Although I will tell you that later on, she may find herself in some mischief (much later on though ;))**

**ladeste: Yeah, she will eventually. Glad you liked the chapter :)**

**dragon's nest: I'm sorry I made you wait so long for this chapter. I honestly can't update as I used to...in fact before I was writing this story, I was home, basically doing nothing and going out of my mind with boredom and now that I have to go back to University and I might get through with a job, I think it absolutely sucks because I want to be home doing this story :/ Anyway, thanks for your well wishes :)**

**LindyLin: Wait, you want some giant age thing to happen to Anna so that Mikoto and Eric can be together? Lol, I'm sure that was a typo but I know what you mean. Thanks for your review, and I hope enjoy the future chapters :)**

**Nobody Special:Yes, they're OC's and your words mean a lot to me and are actually a big compliment because I know a lot of people aren't really fans of OCs. Thank you so much!  
**

**XxXxSayuri-ChanxXxX: Good luck with your exams and I hope you excel and come out on top! Will pray for you :) Well, if you ever saw Gora's official relationship chart with the characters from K, you would see a pink arrow from Anna to Mikoto, indicating that she has a crush on him. So that's kind of like what I'm working with :)**

**creativeactivesrs: I got the idea about Izumo having foresight when I saw the scans of Memory of Red's most recent chapter. It hadn't been translated yet but it seemed that Izumo had had a strange, brief dream about Mikoto. I based my idea on Izumo's foresight from that. Thanks so much for letting me know that everyone was still in character. That means a lot to me :)**

**D: I have no problem with people who ship those two together, based on the context of the situation. I mean I will feel seriously disturbed if someone shipped an eleven year old Anna and twenty four year old Mikoto into a sexual relationship. That is just wrong. if it's an older Anna, then that's better. I won't say that it's necessarily worth more because you would have to look at it in accordance to the value of other items sold in Japan. It's simply that when you exchange 1 US dollar for Japanese yen, you will be getting more Japanese yen for that 1 US dollar. However, based on the prices of items in Japan, the amount you spend on things there would still be the same amount that you spent in US dollars if you exchanged the yen back for US. Sorry if that sounds confusing. **

**iCooky: Nah I won't say that Kei has bad intentions toward Anna. But he _is_ a bit silly isn't he? Especially with that playboy attitude :) About the manga, it's basically a prequel to the anime and shows a lot of Tatara's interaction with everyone and goes into more detail with some of the members, like Eric, Bando and Shohei. I won't say that it really clashes with the canon and actually goes in accordance to it, but sometimes I do get a bit confused because there was two chapters that involved Anna in it (the manga), and Anna is not really known to display emotions, yet she did so quite a lot in those two chapters. However, it is really funny and enjoyable and you get to see a really interesting side of everyone in terms of comedy. I think you would like it :)**

**Ihadyprilla: I actually preferred the original fairytales (I know, I'm kinda weird). It really makes me happy to know that you like Kei so much, it means a lot especially because he's an OC. Thanks so much again for PMing me the errors. You don't have to stress yourself out over it or anything, just do it if you feel like it but I really do appreciate it. Thanks again :)**

**Shiary: Well I didn't forget you today! Yay :) I have more to write on those three, and I hope you enjoy their interactions :)**

**xNightDreamerx: I'm glad to know you like this story so much! Thanks so much for your lovely reviews. In a way, it is kind of like for training her powers so that she doesn't get rusty...especially because she doesn't seem to use her power as often. **

**_Thank you all so much for your lovely words, it meant a lot to me and you guys really keep me motivated! Thank you also to all those who follow and favorite this story!_**

**_What did you think of this chapter? Let me know. _**

**_God bless :)_**


	28. Finders' Finding Out

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 28: Finders' Finding Out

Anna was flat on her stomach, lying half dead on top of Mikoto. Her face was lying on its side, with her cheek pressed against the material of his white sleeping shirt. She gripped his broad shoulders tightly with her little hands. Mikoto's body was warm beneath hers and Anna was perfectly comfortable, half dozing like that.

Mikoto, meanwhile, was lying with his arms beneath his head on the bed. He sighed wearily, his breath lifting Anna's hair slightly.

"You know you have to get ready for school,"

Anna nodded and merely tucked her head under his chin more.

"Don't you want to go?"

Anna shook her head.

"The car will be here soon," he reminded her softly.

Anna gripped his shoulders tighter and slid further up his body until her head reached his. She looked down at him with grey eyes, before resting her temple on his forehead so that nose and mouth were buried against her cheek. Her arms went around his head, hugging it against hers. Under different circumstances, it might be an amusing position but Mikoto knew he had to send Anna off to school.

Even if he was reluctant to let her go.

He sat up and held her to him so that he could rub his nose on the cheek it was buried in. Then, he pried her loose from him and nudged her to go have a bath.

Reluctantly, she let him go and slid from him. Izumo had fallen a bit ill and stayed over in his apartment, but he did call Mikoto to ensure that Anna woke up. Anna had been cuddling against Mikoto's chest, held safely in his arms when Izumo called.

Mikoto hated mornings, but shook Anna awake after that phone call. She proceeded to climb on top of him and hug him, not really wanting to let go.

However, she had knew that there were things she was required to do and school...and so, she would go, for the sake of her responsibilities.

The car was already waiting when she came downstairs. Mikoto was waiting for her in the living room, looking sleepy as he usually slept like the dead at this hour. Anna walked to him until she stood between his widespread legs and reached up so that she could kiss his cheek.

"I'll miss you," she murmured to him sadly as she drew back.

He caught her small shoulders in his large hands and pulled her to him so that he could affectionately nuzzle her hair in reply. He withdrew much too quickly for her liking, and then proceeded to stand up.

"You better get going or you'll be late,"

* * *

"We found Nori's keychain, and the pendant that kid from the other grade lost..." Akemi was mumbling to herself as she scrolled through the files on the computer in their clubroom. It was seven thirty in the morning and nearly two hours ago, Anna had been basking in Mikoto's arms. She had been so comfortable in the heat from his body and so safe in his arms. Then, she was yanked from him and taken to the cold mountains.

She hated Monday mornings for that. It felt like she was being uprooted every time she walked out of Homra to leave for Seneca.

Akemi glanced at her friend. "What's wrong?" she questioned, noting the fair headed girl's mood. Over the last couple of months, she had come to distinguish Anna's moods. When Anna was bored, her expression remained blank and unchanging. When she was restless, her hands would move more. When she was irritated in some way, she would either blink at the person who annoyed her (normally Kei), or narrow her eyes very slightly at what had irritated her. When she was sad, the atmosphere around her was dead quiet. It was also the look in her eyes itself that made Akemi able to understand what Anna was feeling.

Akemi realized that currently, Anna was absolutely miserable.

Anna simply shook her head at Akemi's question. Anna never really revealed much about herself. Akemi did not prod Anna for answers because it seemed that her friend valued her privacy and perhaps they had not been friends long enough for her to want to talk about much...especially with dead parents and a brother.

"Did you have breakfast?" Akemi queried.

Sometimes she felt like a big sister to Anna too. Anna sometimes forgot to do simple things like eating or fixing her ribbons properly. Akemi tried to ensure that she ate, or would fix her ribbons for her. In fact, there was something shocking she had learned about Anna; her younger friend did not know how to tie her shoelaces!

She had realized when she saw the often doll-like, princess-like girl tucking her laces into her shoes one day.

_"Why are you doing that?" Akemi asked her._

_Anna shook her head and continued doing it. Akemi frowned, quite confused, then stooped and pulled the laces out of her friends shoes. Then, she proceeded to tie them perfectly. She glanced up at Anna who had had a slight blush on her cheeks._

_"T-Thank you," she murmured, almost shyly._

_Akemi had been stunned. She had never seen Anna behave like that...so...so **human-like**. Akemi realized that because she had not pulled away but thanked her instead, that Anna did not know how to tie her shoelaces._

_"Would you like me to do the other one?"_

_Anna nodded and Akemi proceeded to fix the other lace as well._

_"Did someone always tie your laces for you before?" Akemi questioned her. She had been uneasy about asking because she wondered if it was any of her dead family who did it for her before. She did not want to bring up bad memories for her dear friend._

_Anna shook her head. "I used to wear shoes with buckles,"_

_"Like mary jane shoes?"_

_Anna nodded._

Akemi recalled thinking that those were very doll-like shoes and perhaps suited Anna quite nicely. She now waited for Anna to respond to her question about breakfast.

"I had some tea and a sandwich earlier," Anna replied. It was true; upon arrival to Seneca, in front of Natsume's house, Ryosuke had been waiting outside the gate for her. He took her bag from her and walked her inside where she was warmly welcomed by his parents and Chef who already prepared a lovely blend of tea for her on that calm, quiet Spring morning. Aprils in Seneca were still very cold.

She had breakfast with everyone, before leaving and heading to school. She had wanted to visit Aoi first, but there was no time for that. She figured that she would drop by for breakfast tomorrow.

"You're missing your brothers, aren't you?" Akemi realized and gave her a sympathetic look.

Anna paused, then nodded.

"There's nothing wrong with that. What are they like though?" Akemi asked, deciding that this might be a good time to find out more about them.

Anna's eyes narrowed just a little, indicating that she was being thoughtful. "My oldest brother takes care of me the most. He cooks for me, and always makes sure that I have everything I need,"

"Does he look anything like you?"

Anna shook her head. "No, he's too handsome," she responded. Akemi thought that that brother was perhaps quite a looker because Anna herself was beautiful.

Akemi smiled. "He's your favorite,"

"I'm close to my other brother too,"

"What's he like?" Akemi asked.

Anna was about to say 'red' but figured that she shouldn't. "He's tall and he likes to sleep all day. He's always warm and very nice,"

"Is he good looking too?"

"He's pretty," was the response.

Akemi was surprised by that unexpected and strange description. Before she could ask more, Kei opened the door with a big grin on his face.

"Good morning my fair ladies. Do we have a clientele list today?" he asked.

"No, we don't," Akemi responded.

Kei was shocked. "We don't? How come?"

"Because we found so many items that we ran out of clients. We have to wait until someone else loses something,"

Kei frowned. "We better hope that we get some clients otherwise the school board would think our club useless and we'll be out of work-and money, next term,"

That was a dismal thought for the three of them.

Suddenly, there came a knock at the door. It opened and a short, pretty girl with dark brown hair entered. They recognized her as being one of the students from the a grade higher than theirs.

Kei immediately turned on his charm.

"What brings such a cute girl here?" he asked while beaming bright enough to brighten up the room.

The girl blushed a little as he approached her. "Well, you see, I..." her voice trailed off.

Kei gently placed a hand on her head. "Don't be shy, we're here to help you,"

The girl's blush deepened and she noisily gulped.

Anna and Akemi merely watched on. It was not an unusual sight to see Kei being a flirt and a smooth talker.

"I wrote a letter to the boy I liked...and I kept it in my locker with my P.E. Uniform until I could give it to him. I was supposed to give it to him yesterday...but I chickened out so I left it in my locker...and then when I got to my locker this morning, it was gone! I don't know what happened to it!" she sobbed. "or why anyone would steal it!"

She grabbed onto Kei and sobbed into his shirt. He seemed surprised by her sudden action.

"The person you like isn't this idiot, is it?" Akemi questioned in a bored voice while pointing to Kei. Kei scowled at Akemi.

The girl immediately jumped back with her hands in the air. "No! Of course not! I mean Junichi-kun is very sweet...but the guy I like is..." she stopped.

Anna turned to her. "Ah...it's that dark haired boy you're always with,"

The girl blinked at her, surprised to know that Anna actually noticed them. The doll-like girl never seemed to pay much attention to her surroundings.

Kei and Akemi were not surprised.

They had realized it when they first started the club because Anna seemed to pick up on things that others did not.

Anna did not need to use her power to know half the things that students were doing. She was quite observant on her own.

"Yes...that's Satoshi-kun. He's my childhood friend. We grew up together because our dads are business partners. We even attended the same schools together,"

Anna grasped images of the girl's past. Her name was Ume Yasu and since she was five years old, she had known Satoshi. They used to run around and play together, get dirty and yelled at by their respective nannies together. They attended the same grand functions with their parents together. They used to even sleep in the same bed at one point in time together.

Always _together_.

They even took great care of each other. Satoshi protected Ume from being bullied when they were little and when he fell down, she tended to his cuts.

Since attending Middle School, it seemed that he had attracted a lot of girls for his good looks while she looked on. He seemed to really enjoy the girls at his side while she was left out. She had become very lonely without him at her side, but there was that flare of love in her for him that never died. It seemed that they had not spoken much since the start of the new school term and it seemed that the last time they had spoken well was because they had been on holidays and their families had set up a trip together.

Both Ume and Satoshi were already fourteen years old.

"Look, we don't do things like love," Akemi stated, annoyed. "if you loose something serious like a pendant or something we could look for it...not a love letter."

"Please, you have to help! I'd be embarrassed if Satoshi found out from anyone else what my feelings for him were!" Ume begged.

Anna sympathized with the girl's situation. She knew what it was like to cling to someone like that and to always want to be by their side. Especially if it was someone she had grown up with. After all, Anna had spent much of the second half of her childhood at Mikoto's side. She would never think of confessing to him because she was well enough aware that she was still technically a child and in his eyes, that was what she was.

Since Anna understood her, she felt obliged to aid her.

"We'll help," Anna said.

Akemi and Kei were shocked. "We will?" Akemi demanded.

Kei looked thoughtful. "It would make sense; a break into someone's locker is quite a serious problem. Did anyone know your locker combination besides you?"

Ume shook her head.

Anna observed her silently before asking again, "What about Satoshi?"

"Not at all!" she denied, shaking her head.

"We'll see what we can do then," Akemi said with a sigh.

"Thank you so much, if you want, I can give you some extra cash...if it would help in anyway,"

Anna could almost see the dollar signs in her friends' eyes.

"No," she cut in. "we are doing a service for this school and we do not require a payment from you."

Akemi and Kei's faces dropped.

"Spoilsport," Kei muttered, disappointed.

"Okay, is there anything you need me to tell you?" Ume questioned.

"Yes, just tell us where your locker room, the day you left the love letter there and the exact time when you left the P.E. Room," Akemi said.

Once she gave them that vital information, Akemi continued, "We also need to know who else you saw in the locker room and if there's anyone else who knew about the letter,"

"Only my best friend. I told her since last Thursday, but she's been ill and unable to come to school,"

"I see," Anna murmured.

* * *

Ume's case was a very simple one. Anna just requested the security tapes for the female locker room. Normally, it would be difficult to get a hold of those tapes because it contained images of young females changing their clothing and the school was very strict in particular about that, to the point of where the only person viewing those videos would be Natsume.

However, Natsume managed to cut the video from the time Ume had left, which was well after anyone had changed to Monday morning so she allowed for Anna to take it to the club and run through it with Akemi and Kei on the computer.

After going through the tape, they found the person who had broken into the locker and stolen Ume's letter.

* * *

"Where are we going, and why do we have to be so quiet?" Ume asked on Tuesday evening. She was being tugged by the arm by Kei, while being followed by Akemi and Anna to the karate club. Anna and Akemi had managed to finish their ballet classes early in order to make time for Ume, who, they knew, was possibly going to suffer from a heartbreak.

They hid in the bushes in the yard to the back of the dojo because there was Satoshi sitting with his friends. He was laughing with them while one of his friends held a paper in his hands.

"That's-" Ume gasped, but Akemi covered her mouth with her hand before they were found out. The letter in the friend's hand was her love letter to Satoshi.

The group of guys were laughing. "That cute girl is your childhood friend, right? Did you really take this from her?"

"Yeah, who would ever think that that silly brat could expect anyone to like her back?" Satoshi chuckled.

"Aren't you being kind of mean? She is your childhood friend," one sympathetic soul commented.

Satoshi only laughed harder. "I only hung out with her because our parents are friends!"

Suddenly, a new voice cut into their conversation. "Then you won't mind if I steal her away?" came Kei's most seductive voice.

Satoshi's face became shocked at the sight of Ume standing beside Kei. Her head was lowered, but her hands were fisted into his shirt, and her eyes were filled with tears. She had clearly heard them.

Kei's hand was on top of her head.

Anna and Akemi watched as Kei pressed a light kiss on Ume's forehead.

"Hey, let go of Ume!" Satoshi yelled.

Kei only grinned and turned away with an arm around Ume's shoulder. "Why should I? She's clearly worthless to you,"

Satoshi came at him, fist ready to aim a direct punch at Kei. He caught Kei's collar with one hand, yanked him from Ume and was about to swing at him with the fist of the other hand, but Ume's sob stopped him, "Why, Satoshi? Why did you do this? Did our past mean so little to you...that you would so easily break into my locker and steal my letter so that you could make fun of my feelings for you?"

Satoshi looked surprised. "Your feelings for me? You mean that letter was for me?!" He let go of Kei and turned to Ume.

"Yes! Who did you think was for, stupid?" she demanded and covered her face. Satoshi looked sorry. He cupped Ume's shoulders in his hands.

"I thought you liked someone else," Satoshi admitted.

Ume paused and lifted her tear streaked face from her hands. "Someone else?" she repeated.

He nodded. "I heard you mentioning to your best friend that you had someone you liked and that you were planning on confessing. I already knew your locker combination because I had met you there enough times to memorize it,"

"What were you doing in the girl's locker room? Are you a hentai or what?" Kei asked with a grin. That earned him a hard ear pull from Akemi who dragged him away from the couple.

Satoshi blushed. "It was our meeting spot! Everyone would already be out and changed!" he snapped at Kei who was cupping his reddened ear. Then he turned to Ume. "When I heard what you were doing, I got upset, so I took the letter. I didn't mean to show it to everyone, it just slipped out of my pocket and my friends saw it. You didn't address it to anyone, just referring to the person as 'you', and when the guys began to make fun of you, I joined in...because I didn't want them to look at you or get interested in you. I want you to be interested in _only_ me," Satoshi admitted, still blushing and not quite meeting her eyes due to being embarrassed.

Ume was surprised. "But you wouldn't hang out with me anymore! You hung out with other girls!"

"Because I was confused! You were always my mischief-making buddy, and then suddenly you became cute! I was confused so I hung out with other girls to see what they were like!"

"And?" she prompted, mad.

Satoshi looked down and confessed, "None of them measure up to you,"

Ume gasped at his words and hugged him tightly. "Oh Satoshi-kun!"

Satoshi hugged her back. "Ume...I like you," he admitted quietly.

Ume drew back and smiled up at him. "I like you too,"

Satoshi's friends' mouths were wide open with shock. "Satoshi-kun! What are you doing? Since when were you so mushy?"

With a mature look on his face, he admitted to his friends, quite proudly, "Since I fell in love with this beautiful girl,"

Akemi, Kei and Anna turned away from the scene and decided it was time to move on and mind their business. They had had an idea from what was going on because Kei had overheard some of Satoshi's friends in school talking about the love letter and then there was the question as to why Satoshi would steal it in the first place.

Akemi was the one to point out that Satoshi's feelings probably ran very deep for Ume, and that he was probably reluctant to admit it. They had to manipulate him somehow into admitting his feelings for Ume. Kei, of course, knew how to handle it.

"That was like something from a shoujo manga," Akemi muttered.

"You read manga, Akemi?" Kei asked.

"Sometimes," There was no way she was telling him that she was obsessed with shoujo. No way at all! Only Anna knew because Anna had come across her reading a manga that was cleverly slipped into the leaves of a big schoolbook so it looked like she was studying, when in fact, she was indulging in a romance manga. She shot a glare at Kei. "and what were you thinking, pulling a stunt like that? That guy could have seriously damaged you!"

Kei grinned. "Worried about me, Akemi-chan?"

Akemi tsked. "If your pretty face got damaged, how could we use it to attract dumb girls to the club? It's only because some of those idiot girls deliberately lost things so that they could speak to you that this club actually had so many clients,"

In a way, Akemi was exaggerating but there had been cases when girls really did loose things so that they could just have an opportunity to interact with Kei. He shamelessly flirted with them until their items were found. If they came to the club to search him out anytime afterward, he would kick them out with a smile on his face.

Kei grunted. Akemi added, "That guy was pretty mean though...and stupid and jealous,"

Kei shrugged. "He made up for it by admitting to his friends what his feelings were without a shred of shame. He's actually a pretty nice guy. Just a bit immature and drastic,"

It was true; after all, Satoshi was only fourteen and his naivete and jealousy made him act that way. Despite that, he did what more than what other guys would do: unabashedly admit his feelings and shamefully admit his wrongs in front of his friends to the girl he loved.

"Since when were we love experts? We find physical things for people, not untouchable things like love," Kei continued.

Akemi looked thoughtful. "That guy sure is satisfied with mediocre though. She _is_ pretty, but quite plain compared to a lot of the girls in this school. She doesn't really stand out, "

After a long moment, Anna said softly, "It doesn't matter that she doesn't stand out to the rest of the world because in his world, she's the most colorful person,"

Anna said it so seriously and so sensibly that the other two were wondering how a twelve year old knew such things.

As they made their way back to the main club building, two guards approached them. They bowed before Anna.

"Anna-hime, forgive our interruption, but Natsume-san has requested your presence,"

Kei and Akemi looked at each other when 'hime' was attached to Anna's name. Wasn't that used for princesses? And they were bowing so politely! Guards in Seneca did not seem to even _breathe_ unless it was necessary!

"Yes. I will come right away," Anna said and the let the guard who spoke to her take her hand and hurry her away while the other guard ushered Akemi and Kei away before they could question what was going on.

* * *

"It seems that your guys are after someone and they're having some difficulty tracking the enemy," Natsume informed her as they approached the cathedral on the school grounds. It was late, and the sun would set soon. "they asked me to see if it was possible for you to locate him. I think a high vantage point might work to your advantage and the bell tower is probably the highest point on the school grounds,"

Anna nodded. She already had her marbles in her hands. They hurried into the building. There were a few students in there, it seemed that they came there because they found the place to very peaceful. The bell tower was on the highest turret of the cathedral which had four large windows. Anna and Natsume followed the staircases up to it.

Eventually, they reached it. There was a huge copper bell inside.

"I'll go there," Anna stated, pointing to the window where there was a large wooden platform outside that had been used when they were painting the outside of the cathedral recently.

"Anna, that's dangerous!" Natsume exclaimed.

Anna shook her head. "It's fine," and she hurried over to it. She was already climbing out where the wind was lashing coldly at her, whipping all around her. Anna was not one who particularly liked heights, but she did know that she had a job to do for clan and she would do it. She did not look around to get frightened by the dizzying scene. She only hoped that she could keep control of her marbles and not have them fall off the platform by the force of the wind.

Natsume handed her the map out window. Then, she picked up two spare pieces of concrete that had been lying around from recent renovations to help hold the map down. Anna rolled the huge map of Shizume city out and Natsume grasped the two ends of it on her side and handed Anna the pieces of concrete to place on the map to further hold it down.

Then, Anna set to work. She placed her marbles on the map and they began to move. She concentrated and it was difficult for the wind was so strong!Even her hair became loosened as the wind stole away her hair tie, causing the white wisps to lash strongly about her.

But her marbles began to circle around the map, constantly moving. It was difficult because she was away from the city, but the location she was in would allow her to possibly find the person her clansmen were looking for.

Suddenly, the marbles stopped at a particular street.

Anna sighed and caught up her marbles in her hands again. She removed the concrete and Natsume pulled the map inside. It was only as she was about to climb through the window that she noticed on the window right beside the one she was outside of, had two familiar faces staring at her.

* * *

Akemi and Kei were standing in the same room, white with shock as Natsume towered over them, arms folded and quite angry. Anna was standing beside her, gazing at her two friends expressionlessly.

"What are you two doing here?" she demanded.

"We were worried about Anna," Akemi answered nervously. She looked from Anna to Natsume nervously.

Kei, however, kept his eyes on Anna. "We were curious about Anna so we followed the guards from a distance away. We lost track of you somewhere close to the cathedral. Then Akemi glanced up and saw Anna, so we came up,"

Akemi swallowed hard and stepped forward. "Anna...how were you able to move the marbles like that? Without touching them?"

Natsume sighed. "It's a magic trick. Anna's uncle is a magician and those beads are specially crafted to make it seem like they're moving on their own. I needed her to try them out for a special event that I have coming up,"

"From such a dangerous point? And you were saying something about locating someone," Kei pointed out.

Anna and Natsume looked at each other.

Kei continued. "You're a Strain, aren't you, Anna?"

* * *

**A/N: I am so proud of myself, I managed to update in two consecutive days! Yay! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**

**Anyway, Kei's found out Anna's secret! **

**Thanks so much, to all of you who reviewed. I appreciated it ^_^ **

**You all motivate me to keep writing. **

_**Guest: Korpiklaani! XD**_

_**ladeste: ****Who doesn't love Homra? I don't think any Clan could be better than theirs.**_

_**Indochine:**** Thanks so much for your review, and your thoughts on the relationship between Seri and Izumo and Seri and Munakata and very much like my own. I want to write more on them, and I probably will. Probably ;) And I didn't think you were being chatty, I really appreciated you letting me know what all your thoughts were :)**_

_**Bree Renee:**** Thanks so much :) If I saw Pokemon on TV, I would change the channel. Unless it was back to when they had the Pokerap ^_^ This is how I get my inspiration: watch episodes of K and drool over Mikoto's hotness and become awed by how badass he is. Then, watch episode 10 of K and go 'awww...' over his little interaction with Anna. It's so sweet...:D**_

_**FireRaven99:**** Thanks for your words! There might be more stuff on them in future chapters. I'm not promising but there could be more appearances of Seri and Munakata :)**_

_**nannerlovessnickers:**** Whenever I see your name, I think to myself, 'when was the last time I ate snickers?' Lol :D I'm always glad to hear from you :) I'm glad you liked the last chapter and hope you liked this one too :)**_

_**rayncl:**** Thanks so much for your well wishes and I hope you liked this chapter too! God bless you too :)**_

_**xNightDreamerx:**** I'm glad that you like this story so much! I don't really have a time range for updating. I used to actually update everyday unless something came up, then I would skip a day. However with other things happening, I can't update as I used to although I would still try to update everyday or at least every other day. The only time I won't is when I become too busy. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter :)**_

_**Nobody Special:**** Why do you call yourself 'Nobody Special' when your words make me feel so special?Thanks so much for those lovely words, they really really meant a lot to me :)**_

_**Ambivalencia:**** Ambivalencia! How are you? I think I remember you once mentioning that they were your OTP. Hope you enjoyed this chapter too :)**_

_**XxXxSayuri-chanxXxX:**** That kinda sucks that you only have internet on your phone :( I hope you get access to a computer soon. You should really try to read the translations because the novel is actually really, really nice :) **_

_**dragon's nest:**** Aww...thanks so much for your kind words! I always do try my best because I know how much people like you enjoy reading my story, and I really really appreciate that. Thank you :)**_

_**Titania:****I can picture Mikoto using Munakata's 'feminine looks' as a way of insulting him! Thanks :)**_

_**Blueeyes775:**** I'm glad you like that there are other relationships too! :)**_

_**Mienchan-ish:**** Hey, that's awesome that you ship them! **_

_**Shiary:**** Who knows? Although I do have grand plans for that trio ;)**_

**A big thank you also to all those who follow and favorite this story. **

**What did you think of this chapter?**

**God bless :)**


	29. A Healing Sword

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 29: A Healing Sword

Anna gazed at the canvas in front of her. Every student had their own assigned one and was sitting behind it with a easel full of paint with a wide assortment of paintbrushes to choose from. Anna frowned at the colors, then at the canvas.

She looked across to see what Akemi was doing. Akemi was busy mixing a bunch of colors together.

Anna, however, saw the world in gray and white save for the color red. So, she picked up her brush and began to paint.

An hour later, Akemi wiped the sweat that had broken out on her forehead, and stretched the tired arm of the hand that had been painting. They had all been asked to paint something they found interesting. She recalled seeing a beautiful sunset over the summer of the year before and she truly enjoyed recreating it on the canvas with her own hands using different hues of red and orange.

She gazed across to see what Anna had painted. Her face stilled with shock when she saw what looked like fire where there were violent flames simply whipping on the canvas in blood, _blood_ red colors.

"A-Anna...why did you...paint such a thing?" Akemi questioned.

Anna replied with a straight face, "Because it's almost as pretty as my favorite red,"

Akemi cocked an eyebrow but asked no more. She had already been warned off by Natsume-san to not dig at Anna for answers about any strange habits or her past.

"_What's a Strain? What are you talking about?" Akemi demanded, looking from the duo before them, to her male companion to her side. _

_Kei kept his eyes on Anna. "I don't know much but I've heard that especially in Shizume City, there are really powerful people, as in people who belong to what are known as clans which are led by a King who is so powerful, that even an army couldn't stand up to him. There are also people who are strains who didn't get their power from the king. I don't think Anna is old enough to be in a clan, so she must be a strain," Kei answered reasonably. _

"_How do you know all this?" Natsume questioned._

"_My big brother used to hang out a lot in Shizume City. I met him there once and when we were passing through a park late one evening, there was this big fight where there was this kid on a skateboard fighting some guy with a sword and wearing on blue!"_

_That was definitely Yata and Fushimi, Anna thought. Those two came alive as mutual enemies on the battlefield but there was no doubt that they enjoyed facing off at each other. _

"_A guy on a skateboard fighting a guy with a sword. In a park," Akemi repeated with a serious tone of voice. _

"_Yeah, and the guy on the skateboard had some red light coming from the skateboard when he moved from it and the guy in blue coming from his hands when they fought!"_

"_So the guy on the skateboard had some red light and the guy in blue had blue light," Akemi repeated once more. _

_Kei nodded vigorously. _

_Suddenly, Akemi aimed a punch at him. He had to duck. _

"_Do you take me for some kind of fool? There's no way that's possible! And there's no way Anna has supernatural powers! And what the heck is this bull about kings and clans? You're an idiot Kei! Stop bluffing and let's get on with our lives!" Akemi snapped. _

_Kei grabbed her wrists to stop her from trying to hit him again. "Think about it! Haven't you noticed that Anna has an uncanny knack for finding things? You can't tell me that this isn't the first time that you've seen her carrying those strange red marbles!" Kei pointed out. Akemi quieted and looked down. She had occasionally glimpsed Anna with a red marble but she had hardly ever payed any mind to it. _

_Kei turned to the principal and the other girl. _

"_My brother told me that when people from clans get into a fight, they use that light and that the most violent clan out there is the Red Clan. Those guys are really scary. But you didn't use any light when you were using your powers, so you can't be a part of a clan. You must be a strain then,"_

_Anna glanced up at Natsume who sighed. _

"_This isn't any of your business," Natsume stated. _

"_With all due respect Natsume Yuki-sensei, Anna is our friend," Kei told her seriously. Akemi was looking uncertain and doubtful. _

_Natsume gave both him and Akemi assessing looks. "And if she is, what are your intentions?"_

_Kei was silent, seemingly unsure. _

_However, Akemi shifted from one foot from the other. She looked straight at Anna. "You...aren't like everyone else, are you?"_

_Anna's facial expression did not change. She had never pondered the possibility of her friends finding out but now she worried about it affecting her relationship with them. She cared deeply for the two and if they became frightened of her because of her power, she would become very unhappy. _

_Anna answered, "I'm not,"_

"_And...you have special powers...you're a strain?" Akemi pressed._

_Natsume looked at Anna and frowned, indicating that she did not like how this situation had turned out and also that she was leaving it up to Anna how to answer. _

_Anna responded to Akemi, "Yes, I have special powers,"_

"_Are you a bad person?" Akemi continued, very slow and careful with her words. _

_Natsume intervened then, "Has she ever shown you that she is?"_

_Akemi shook her head. _

"_Then she clearly isn't," Natsume replied._

_Akemi looked over at Kei whose face remained serious. He did not say anything, but kept his eyes on Anna. Akemi did not like how he was behaving. It was as if, for once, he did not know what to do or say._

_Annoyed, she kicked him in the shin. _

"_What?! Ouch! You bitch!" he cursed and gripped his damaged shin while hopping from one foot to the next. _

"_Mind your language!" Natsume growled. _

"_But she hurt me!" he argued._

_Akemi growled in reply, "Why aren't you saying anything, stupid?! Anna has been our friend for so many months and you're acting like she's an alien you never saw before! She's been nothing but a good friend to us, and you're acting like she's someone that you've never met!"_

_Kei was stunned by her words and paused in his hopping motions._

_Akemi returned her attention to Anna. "Do you like us?"_

_Anna frowned at the strange question. Then nodded. _

_Her friend walked up to her and took her hands in hers. With blue eyes staring into gray, Akemi told her, "I don't care if you're different, or that you have special powers. You stood up for me when you didn't have to. You became my friend when I should have been your enemy. I can't ask for anyone else to be my friend,"_

_Anna, for the first time, gave her a slight smile which seemed to change her entire facial features, making her look so cute and pretty._

_Kei walked up to her next. He put a hand on Akemi's shoulder. "This blonde brat is right, and I'm sorry for being such a jerk. I was just caught by surprise, that's all,"_

_Natsume looked at the trio. Then she turned to Anna. "I can erase their memory of this incident and things can go back to the way they were,"_

_Akemi and Kei began to protest. "We won't tell anyone! Promise!" Akemi exclaimed. _

"_What do you think?" Natsume asked Anna._

"_It's alright. I don't think that they would tell anyone," Anna replied._

_Natsume frowned. She turned to the other two. "Anna will know if you try to, and if you do there will be serious consequences,"_

"_Anna can read minds too?" Kei demanded, quite fascinated._

"_If you're thinking about using Anna in some way, I want you to refrain from those thoughts. Anna has suffered a lot in the past because of her powers. I don't want to find you two doing the same too by using her," Natsume stated._

_Kei looked a little ashamed. "I'm sorry," he apologized. He hadn't been planning on abusing their friendship but he had momentarily imagined using her power as a means of making money, for all three of them. However, upon learning this little tidbit, he promised himself that he would never use their friendship as a way of using Anna for her powers. He would never treat her with such indignity. _

"_But do we get to know more about her?" Akemi questioned._

_Anna shook her head. "No," she replied. _

"_What?!" the two friends chorused. _

_Anna fidgeted lightly with her fingers. "There are people who may be after me. There are people who want my power and could use you to get to me. You are both vulnerable and cannot protect yourselves. If you hang around me, you could get into trouble. Do you want that risk?"_

_Akemi looked thoughtful. Then shrugged. "What's wrong with living dangerously? And we're pretty safe here, anyway,"_

_Anna was surprised at her rush of acceptance. _

"_Why are you so quick to go along with that?" Natsume asked and folded her arms. _

"_She's the nicest person I've met. I doubt there's a big risk as she's making it out to be and I don't mind it all,"_

"_I think so too," Kei agreed. _

_Anna understood what it was like to want to protect the way her clansmen wanted to protect her. They saw her as fragile and vulnerable, just as she recognized Kei and Akemi to be. However, she felt that the less they knew about her, the better. Not just because there was that potential but unlikely threat of anyone from the Rise coming after her again, but particularly in the case of Kei. If he knew too much, Natsume would feel obligated to tell Mikoto and the others who knew about her power. She figured that it would alright if they knew about Akemi because she was female-but not Kei who smiled like Totsuka._

_That would be like inviting a pride of lions to demolish a steak where the lions were her clansmen-and Mikoto head of the pride, and Kei was the steak. _

_She also did not want their memories erased because she liked that there was less secrets between them. _

"_Fine, I won't have your memories erased unless I feel as though you're endangering Anna in any kind of way or if you're trying to dig into her past," Natsume stated. _

"_But why can't we know more about her?" Kei asked. _

_Anna chose to answer, "The less you know, the better because there are people who will want to hurt you for what you may know about me,"_

* * *

Akemi had treated Anna the same way, perhaps simply with more care. It was not out of fright but out of concern for she seemed to understand that in some way, Anna's life was full of more suffering that she let on. Kei was a bit wary and uncertain, as if he did not know how to behave. He clearly wanted to know more about Anna but over time, he came to accept that he could not ask more and she would only tell them if she felt like it.

Soon, their relationship reverted back to the way it had usually been. Maybe her secrets could have caused friction between her and her friends, but they were truly understanding and they trusted her. The only difference now was that Anna used her marbles in front of them. Both Kei and Akemi were fascinated the first time she pulled them out and set them on a map of the school grounds.

"_Would you...er...like some privacy?" Akemi asked her._

"_No, it's alright," Anna responded and the marbles began to move, seemingly of their own volition. Kei and Akemi stared in shock, fascinated by the movement of the red beads that were held within a certain range by Anna's hands, but not at all touched physically by them. Then, they moved from circling around the map, to a full stop together in one position. _

"_The watch we're looking for should be just outside the High School's cafeteria," Anna informed them. _

_Kei and Akemi remained unmoving, stunned by the sight. _

_Anna seemed to have become uncomfortable with their scrutiny for she she shifted uncomfortably. That seemed to break her friends out of their surprise. _

"_That was amazing...is that the only thing you can do?" Kei queried._

_Anna frowned, uncertain about how to answer._

"_It's okay. You don't have to answer!" Kei told her._

_Anna hesitated before informing him, "I do want to tell you, but if I do, I will have to tell my family that you know and they won't like it,"_

_Akemi spoke then, "Would they take you from here?"_

"_I don't know," Anna responded. It was possible they would remove her-after they rearranged Kei's face for they would insist that Natsume erase their memories. Anna never really questioned how Natsume would go about doing such a thing, but she was quite sure that the principal had the means of doing so. _

"_But they don't need to know if you don't tell them," Kei pointed out._

"_Natsume-san will find out and she would have to tell," Anna replied._

_The other two were certain that the principal probably would. She **did** have cameras stashes practically everywhere. _

_They asked no more questions on her power._

* * *

It was now Friday afternoon and Anna was looking forward to going home. Currently, she was gazing at Akemi's canvas in fascination.

Akemi saw her doing so. "You like it?"

Anna nodded. Then, she admitted, "The only color I can see is red,"

"Seriously? I never realized!" Akemi gasped. She looked at her painting. "So can you see all the colors, even the orange?"

"A little," Anna answered.

Akemi seemed to be thoughtful for a moment. Then she told her, "You can have it,"

Anna looked at her friend in surprise. Akemi grinned. "I don't think there's anyone else in the world who would treasure it more than you,"

Anna could see that she would have liked to have given it to her father, but she doubted his appreciation of anything she would give him.

"Akemi, you spent the holidays in school, right?" Anna asked her.

"Yes,"

"Didn't your dad ask why?"

She shook her head. "But he knows. He can't be _that_ stupid,"

Anna was silent for a long moment. Akemi frowned. "Why are you asking?"

"He is your only parent...maybe you should try to write to him," Anna suggested.

Akemi's mouth became taut line of annoyance. "He betrayed me for that witch, Anna. Maybe because your parents loved you at one point in time, you may think that there's some love between me and my dad. But there's nothing. He killed it," Akemi insisted vehemently. Then, she looked regretful. "I'm sorry,"

She was apologizing for mentioning Anna's parents. She hadn't meant to make it sound like she was rubbing it in her face that her deceased family loved her.

"It's alright. I understand," Anna assured her. She was not offended in any way by Akemi's words for she understood how painful it was to be betrayed like that. Hadn't she been betrayed in a similar way by Honami too?

Akemi gave her a faint smile. "So do you want the painting?"

And so, the painting was given a frame by Natsume who been undeniably impressed by Akemi's work and decided that it deserved that much. It was hung in Anna's room at her house. Anna, in turn, had given Akemi her painting of the flames which Akemi proceeded to set up in her own room.

* * *

"It seems that Anna came home early," Izumo informed Mikoto as they stepped out of the car. He had just been called by Kamamoto who informed him of their youngest member's return.

Mikoto glanced at him. "Early?" He proceeded to light a cigarette.

"Yeah, her club activities got cancelled so she's back at an earlier time. She called Kamamoto before coming and it seems she just arrived. He told me that she's watching television,"

Mikoto shrugged as they walked toward the tall white building in front of them. "Just make sure she's warm," It was a particularly cool Spring day.

"Ah...don't worry, Lion-O is with her," Izumo cheerfully informed him and the red haired man stiffened for a very brief moment.

Izumo really knew that irked Mikoto. It seemed that Mikoto bore a slight jealousy for Lion-O who was merely a stuffed toy that Mikoto himself had gotten for Anna recently.

_They had been walking down the street after running to the liquor mart for Izumo for he had run out of a special brand of whisky he had been serving. Anna stopped just outside the showcase window of the toyshop, automatically causing Mikoto pause and see what had grasped her attention._

_There was a wide display of plushies. Many big, some medium sized while others were very little. Anna's eyes were on a medium sized lion with a red mane. It looked very soft and the material covering the body seemed to be almost velvety. _

"_You want that?" Mikoto asked._

_Anna, eyes never leaving it, nodded. Mikoto sighed and went into the toystore. She clung to his jacket as they entered the store and he picked it up and proceeded to purchase it. The cashier did not comment on the strange combination of a tall, scary looking guy and a petite, pretty girl. _

_Mikoto handed it to her and she hugged it as they walked down the street. He glanced down at her. She seemed very contented with the stuffed toy. He would have thought that she had outgrown toys. But there was something about the way her face had softened with that thing in her arms that made his heart grate the same way it grated whenever Yata forgot himself and rubbed his cheek against Anna's hair or when Chitose or Shohei kissed Anna's cheeks...or even when Kamamoto-fat or skinny-cuddled Anna for too long._

_His nerves felt like they were on the edge when he watched her with that toy. It **irritated** him and the only thing that didn't stop him from turning it to ash was the contented look in Anna's eyes. _

_When they got home, Izumo was serving a patron at the far end of the bar. When caught sight of his friend and his adopted daughter, he hurried to the end of the counter that was closer to them. _

"_How did things go?" He saw the plushie. "where did that come from?"_

_Anna released Mikoto's jacket and hugged the lion closer to her, enjoying how soft and snuggly it felt. She even loved how its mane was red. _

_Shyly, she replied, "Mikoto got this for me,"_

_Izumo raised an eyebrow and turned to Mikoto. He knew Mikoto long enough to sense when his friend was annoyed._

"_That's very nice of him. Perhaps you should go get ready for bed now,"_

_Anna nodded. She caught Mikoto's sleeved and tugged on it slightly to get his attention. He glanced at her and sighed. He knew what she wanted._

_He lowered his head and allowed her to give him a sweet kiss on his cheek. "Thank you," she murmured._

_He nodded, nudged his nose against her cheek in response. She hurried off afterward. Some of his annoyance left him after her little bit of affection. _

"_Don't worry, I don't think that that lion will replace you as her cuddle-buddy," Izumo assured him with a smirk._

_Mikoto shot his friend a glare._

_Unfortunately, upon entry into his room, he found Anna sleeping on her side of the bed, facing away from his side while hugging that dumb lion to her. Mikoto scowled and lay down beside her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her little form against his. Then, he proceeded to pry that non-living creature from her arms. She made a little noise in response to the removal of her toy and turned around. Unconsciously, she recognized Mikoto's body and immediately settled herself against him, continuing a peaceful sleep. _

_Mikoto turned his attention from her to the lion that was in his hand. The empty black eyes watched him back. Had he been defeated by **this**...this **thing** for Anna's affection?_

_ Suddenly, he cocked an eyebrow at it. It had red hair that stuck up similar to the way his did. It slowly dawned on him that she had wanted the lion because it reminded her of him._

_Mikoto almost smiled. So, cuddling Anna against him with one arm, he moved lie flat on his back and lay the stuffed toy on his chest. It was within easy reach for her if she woke up and wanted it. He didn't mind it that much anymore. Somewhat. _

_Although he did find it a bit irritating when she hugged it too tightly to her. _

_After all, she was supposed to hug him-her king-that tightly. _

_Later he found out from Izumo that she had named the animal Lion-O after some character in a show called 'Thundercats'._

_And ever since he got it for her, it was **everywhere** she was. At the breakfast in the bar, on the couch watching television. It was always beside her or in her arms. She was twelve years old! She should have outgrown those useless pieces of fluff, Mikoto had grumbled in his thoughts one day. _

_Perhaps that stupid thing really had replaced him! It was Sunday night that Mikoto had been lying on his back with Anna cuddled at his side that he started devising a plan on how to get rid off that..that stuffed creature without Anna finding out. The problem was that Anna would find out. She always found out things she shouldn't know because of her power. He was busy trying to figure it out when Anna let out a soft breath beside him. She pushed her Lion-O above her head as it was in between her and Mikoto and she cuddled closer to Mikoto. _

_Mikoto decided that perhaps, he could tolerate the mangy thing a little longer. She had chosen it because it reminded her of him, right? And maybe she would take it with her in Seneca and leave it there. _

Mikoto tried not to let his annoyance show. Anna had brought his _substitute_ back home instead of leaving it in Seneca.

Damn it.

* * *

Mikoto and Izumo stood before the Gold King in a huge area of the building they had entered. This section, however, did not have a rooftop.

Izumo was ordered by the Gold King to go stand at the back. Apparently, this was going to be an annual thing that Mikoto got annoyed by, although he understood its importance; since the incidence of where his sword had come crashing down and he had been stabbed by Reisi to stop it, and yet survived thanks to his clansmen's desire for him to live, the Gold King was ensuring that his sword of Damocles remained in a state where it would not fall again.

He hated coming into the Gold Clan's territory but he understood that he had to. After all, he did not want his Sword to come crashing down again either.

"Release your sword," the old man said.

Mikoto sighed. He hated taking orders, especially from an old man. But he would do it just so that he could get on with his life.

Upon doing so, everyone was stunned at the sight; a year ago, Mikoto's sword had reached a state where even the hilt of the Sword had been eroded and where there were cracks in the blade itself. His Weissman level had remained on the brink.

However, now, his Weissman level was just below the limit based on the tests the members of the Gold Clan were running behind a glass window to the back of the room. He had not exceeded it.

And his Sword what stunned everyone.

The hilt seemed to have become repaired for it was visibly there, and the blade did not have that many cracks. It still looked a little rough and beaten but it was actually in a far better state than they had ever seen it.

"Okay, that's enough," the Gold King stated and Mikoto's sword disappeared.

Mikoto had also been somewhat surprised to see his sword like that too. He had not released it in a long time so he had not actually known what kind of state it was in.

"Your Sword of Damocles is healing," Daikaku Kokuyjoji stated. He continued, "it means that you are healing."

Mikoto looked thoughtful. It was true; he had not had that desire to become drunk with his power in a long time. Normally he would have an internal battle with himself to have the self-control to not do so, so much to the point of where he wished someone would kill him and remove him from that miserable state.

In fact, the only reason why he had been alright with being alive after the wound Reisi gave him was because of the relieved faces of his clansmen. Including Anna. One of his concerns about his dying had been her safety because if the Red Clan ceased to be no more, Scepter 4 and the Gold King might have been able to try to wrangle Anna away Homra, despite Izumo being her legal guardian.

She would be vulnerable without Mikoto's protection.

"Somehow that beast inside of you-your thirst to destroy is being tamed," Daikaku continued.

The old man seemed to almost be smiling. "It seems that there's someone close to you who is making you feel at ease,"

Izumo had known that as Anna was getting older, it would have been better to try to keep her from sleeping in Mikoto's bed. Yet, since the incident with the Rise came up last year, something inside of him had been telling him to let her continue to sleep beside Mikoto even though it had become a common habit for he could sense how much better Mikoto's moods were, even from just a kiss on the cheek from the girl.

Now, as they drove home, he was glad that he hadn't. Mikoto also understood that it was the affection between him and Anna that turned away that horrible desire in him because it was focused now on something, or rather _someone_ more soothing. Mikoto had instructed Izumo to not let Anna know any of this.

Since Izumo was a man who understood more than what was told to him, he knew that Mikoto's reasoning for keeping it away from Anna was so that she would freely give and accept the affection between them, instead of feeling obligated.

Although Izumo doubted that Anna would ever feel obligated to give Mikoto a kiss on the cheek. She loved Mikoto unconditionally, even if Mikoto was too dense to actually fully comprehend-or accept the depth of the girl's love for him. In his eyes, she was still a child, and Anna was a person who, despite her age, understood how others perceived her and how she perceived herself. With that kind of understanding, she had the maturity to know what was expected of her and of others. That was why she had never been a demanding or selfish person.

* * *

When Mikoto went upstairs, he saw Anna lying on the divan, asleep near to the window. Kamamoto had considerately covered her with a white blanket that seemed to match her hair color. She was lying on her side with just her head showing...along with that Lion-O whose red mane was peeking out from under the blanket. Anna's head was pressed into a white pillow and she had a peaceful expression on her face.

The window she was sleeping just under had a set of thin, baby blue curtains that were tied neatly, allowing the sunlight to filter in. Mikoto wondered how Anna could sleep, even like that. Sighing, he walked over to her with his hands in his pockets. He had a lot to be glad for with having this girl in his life. Because of her, that creature inside of him was at ease meaning that there were other things that he could do now instead of sleeping all day like a lion in captivity.

He could go do some bounty hunting. That was what the Red Clan tended to do and it was how they paid for their major expenses but Mikoto could now do it more often and now he could have a more active role instead of leaving to his clansmen. Before he had to be cautious about overdoing it and fighting that monster inside of him. It was a bit tamed so he felt he could risk it.

Mikoto sat beside her on the divan and his eyes lingered on her for a moment before he lifted the blanket from her and climbed under it to lie beside her. He was careful to not make too many rough motions so as to wake her up.

The divan was big enough to fit Mikoto's body perfectly, but not with the extra size of Anna, despite how little she was. To overcome this problem, Mikoto simply gathered her in his arms and pulled her on top of him so that she remained curled up on his chest. He also pried that stupid Lion-O from her. He lifted it in front of his eyes momentarily. It really was something to remind her of him...and it was cute and soft. Mikoto wasn't cute and soft though; he was rough and hard.

But _Anna_ was cute and soft.

He frowned at his thoughts and shoved Lion-O somewhere to his side that was close to the wall.

Lion-O's removal from his owner caused her to shift a little and snuggle more against Mikoto's hard warm body. Once she seemed comfortable enough, she released a soft sigh and went back to sleeping peacefully. Mikoto soon joined her in dreamland with memories of long ago when their dear friend Tatara was still alive.

* * *

Izumo lit a cigarette. Mikoto had already informed him that he wanted to get more into bounty hunting once more. Izumo was glad that Mikoto could go back into something he had genuinely enjoyed. Over the years, Mikoto's role in their capture of criminals had been significantly reduced due to his power but now, he wanted to come out more. Like a lion getting back into the wild.

Izumo walked upstairs, wondering what Anna and Mikoto were doing. He had considered bringing Anna back home for good but that would uproot her from her school all over again and from what Natsume was telling him, Anna was doing well there. She was growing and maturing and becoming her own person.

Even he had to admit that the school had had a positive effect on her development, and he would still consider bringing her home for good despite this, if it hadn't been for her cycle. He had seen how sick she had gotten because of it, he had been there in the medical ward of the school. He had been afraid that she was going to die because of her blood loss. Hell, he even saw how she looked like something the cat dragged in when she returned home after her cycle.

She was always too thin and too pale for someone _already_ pale and thin and he would not keep Anna home and have her suffer among men who did not have the proper ability to care for her during such a crucial time.

Even if everyone missed her.

Well, at least they were still able to use some of her power even from a distance. Anna had been their last resort almost two weeks ago when they had needed to track down a particular gang. They were people who had been after Eric...apparently some underground rats who had not been exterminated by Mikoto because they had not been around when Mikoto had come after the gang Eric had originally been in.

Izumo paused at the sight before him at the end of the corridor that was upstairs: Anna lying atop Mikoto with a blanket covering them on the divan. Her hair spilled in white waves onto his bicep. His arms were around her, holding her securely to him and her head was tucked under his chin. They both looked comfortable, warm and safe and they both looked so unbelievably tender.

Who would think that this scary, violent, short tempered man had such a soft spot for a soft, often quiet and even tempered girl? Izumo never ceased to enjoy the sight of the contrasting personalities enjoying a quiet moment together.

Izumo smiled gently and wondered what the future held for the two people who were in a deep slumber. He covered his mouth to suppress a chuckle when he passed by them and saw poor Lion-O shoved away in a corner. Mikoto really could be a jealous, possessive lion sometimes.

Well, considering the fact that Anna was like his security blanket, it was understandable.

* * *

_**A/N: I apologize to everyone who thought that Kei was going to be a Strain. Hope you still like him though :) I guess this chapter also shows that Akemi can be really mature at times and that she truly values Anna as a friend. **_

_**So Mikoto's Sword isn't as damaged as before. It's healing :)**_

_**Also, for anyone who has not read the translations for K: Side Red, it seems that one of the reasons why Mikoto's Sword is damaged is because he has to fight with himself because of the power he has in him that has a desire to destroy. It is therefore like a 'beast' and according to Tatara, the damages to his sword are like the wounds from that battle he has with it (check out the translations for yourself just to be sure).**_

_**Thank you so much, all you who reviewed, followed and favorited this story. I truly appreciate it and you all motivate and encourage to keep on writing. I really wish that I could have updated sooner...but school...I hate it. It makes me sick when I think of all the work I have to do :/**_

_**Anyway, for all of you who reviewed:**_

_**Ambivalencia: I'm doing great, thanks for asking! Alive and well. Just I despise having to go to school. Can't I be a lazy bum for the rest of my life? Well, of course I know I can't but I wish I had an extended vacation. Sorry for babbling on :/ Yeah, Seri and Izumo had some interesting interactions in the last memory of red chapter. I may incorporate them more-as well as Reisi in the future chapters. Not fully sure how yet, but I have an idea ^_^ Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**_

_**Indochine: Glad you liked the chapter :) He really does remind me as well of Izumo at times, but I think that he's much more of a shameless flirt than Izumo. I guess this chapter answered your questions and I hope you liked it. How is college going for you?**_

_**FireRaven99: Aww...I'm glad you love Kei! That makes me so happy! He was a bit of an idiot in this chapter, but I hope you still like him! And I hope you weren't disappointed to find out that he wasn't a Strain!**_

_**Ihadyprilla: Sunday's your birthday? Awesome! Hm...I can try to update on Sunday. Just PM and remind me tomorrow that it's your birthday Sunday so that I can make sure to work on the new chapter. I can't promise, but I'd like to try if it would make your birthday extra-special :)**_

_**Nobody Special: Well, you're special to me even if you call yourself 'Nobody Special' :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter even though Kei's reason for knowing about strains is because of his brother and not because he is one.**_

_**Titania: Hope you liked this chapter! :)**_

_**Mienchan-ish: I think they're interesting too and I might feel more inclined to ship Reisi and Seri together instead of Izumo and Seri...they just seem a bit more realistic. But I like the idea that Seri and Izumo like each other but can't be together because of their clans. How did you like this chapter?**_

_**Arius the Heretic: Hey, thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter as well! I'm glad to know you like this story so much :) Mikoto and Kei are gonna meet each other. I already have the plot in my mind so maybe in a few chapters, just not quite yet :) And thanks for the well wishes for school (it really sucks :/)**_

_**Nevertheless: Two chapters in a row and like two days without updating :/ Sorry about that, but I hope you really enjoyed this chapter :)**_

_**D: Would you believe it was someone scamming me, thinking that if they lied to me about a job that they pulled a string for me to get, I would help them to do something? People like that really, really tick me off. *smh* Anyway, it's good to hear from you! Well, older Anna and Mikoto are perfectly fine. I am not a fan of pedophilia, even in a fictional world. That's just disturbing. I mean if little Anna and 24 year old Mikoto have some affectionate, cute moments then that's fine. But sexual? Hell no. I feel bad for Seri too. I want to include her more into this story, as well as Reisi. Well, now you know how Kei knows. Their finding out just made Anna's relationship with her friends a little better. I'm glad you liked this chapter :)**_

_**TheRoseShadow21: You're the second person who told me that they really liked that line, I'm glad you did! A new plot is coming up soon! Hope you enjoy it from there and that you really enjoyed this chapter! I am also a Homra girl! Homra is the best clan out there :)**_

_**xNightDreamerx: So glad you enjoyed the chapter! Hope you liked this one too :)**_

_**nannerlovessnickers: I am avoiding snickers, and all sorts of chocolate although I ate a bunch of cadbury cookies and sent my diet flying out the window. Lol. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and sorry for the long wait!**_

_**Bree Renee: Hm...it might have been interesting if that was the case of Mikoto being there. You must have thought he would finally come across Kei! Sorry for getting your hopes up but I hope that the fluff in this chapter makes up for it, and that it really answers your questions :) And I'm glad you liked Ume and Satoshi's little story too :)**_

_**val615: Yes, Kei's figured it out about Anna :)**_

_**fearfulfears: That's alright that you haven't reviewed the last few chapters; I haven't updated for the last few days! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks so much for your lovely words :)**_

_**LindyLinn: No it doesn't seem like Kei is a Strain :( But I hope you still enjoyed the chapter. I know you meant Anna instead of Eric, don't worry :)**_

_**XxXxSayuri-chanxXxX: Hey that's great that you're still at the top but I'm sorry to hear that you're grade is a little lower! Well, just work a little hard, pray hard and I'm sure you'll do awesome again! Damn...so sorry to hear that your wallet was stolen! Hope you didn't have anything overly important in it, or that you didn't loose too much money.**_

_**ladeste: Whoo! Just in time! I was able to include you here right before I updated! Hm...I think would let you know about Anna's going home for good or not! **_

_**Thanks so much for all your reviews! **_

_**God bless!**_

_**PS: What did you think of this chapter? And Lion-O? **_


	30. One Year Later

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**A/N:**** Happy Birthday Ihadyprilla! Hope this makes your day extra special!**  
_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 30: One Year Later

Anna, now thirteen, was watching Mikoto's handsome face as he slept on his side, facing her. He was not touching her on this cool Spring morning but beside him was always warm. Anna was hugging Lion-O to her. Wherever Anna slept, he slept and when she was home in Homra, he remained in Mikoto's bed.

She held Lion-O by his back with her fingers wrapped around his neck, and gently pressed his nose against Mikoto's. Mikoto twitched a little, and abruptly, he grabbed the stuffed toy before Anna could gasp. He turned the other way, locking it in his arms so that she could not get it back.

Anna sat up and kneeled beside him. She pushed at his hard bicep to get back her plushie but he continued to cuddle it to him.

Apparently, somehow Mikoto had come to like it. She had sensed his initial dislike of it, but one morning she had been forced to leave it in his arms before going to school. That was because he had refused to let her get out of bed and was wrapped around her like an octopus.

When Izumo had managed to wrangle her away from the possessive lion, he had growled while still in a deep sleep and his hand had been searching around for her. Unwittingly, it touched Lion-O who was still on the bed and he grasped it, hugged it to him and settled down while rubbing his nose into its mane looking very much like a lion himself. She had been forced to leave Lion-O in Homra, much to her dismay, for that week.

When she came back the following weekend, he was lying on top of Mikoto's pillow.

"Well, that was his snuggle buddy without you here," Izumo had replied to Anna's question about why Mikoto hadn't incinerated her precious plushie yet.

It was a strange explanation but Anna accepted it.

Now, Mikoto was ignoring her when she tried to get him to return her toy. It seemed as though he was deliberately teasing her because he merely cuddled it closer to him and rubbed his cheek against the lion's mane that was almost as red as his own hair.

"Mikoto," she protested and shook his arm again.

He ignored her.

Unwilling to let herself be defeated, she reached over and pinched his nose. That seemed to get his attention, and with his short temper, she was suddenly shoved onto the bed and before she could cry out, he was covering her with his heavier body and hugging her close to him while his nose buried in her hair.

She shoved at his shoulders but he did not budge. Indeed, being stuck under this large hard body was like being trapped like a fly in a web. He was making her sleepy when he nuzzled her hair. She sighed, resigned to her current position and simply thankful that she was warm beneath him and wonderfully safe.

The last year had not been a strange year at all. It had been peaceful and fun. She was able to spend several weeks home over the Summer, having only to go back to Seneca when her body showed signs that her cycle would come.

It had been wonderful to wake up next to Mikoto nearly everyday, sometimes cuddled in his arms, other times against his back, or sometimes simply beside him, basking in his warmth. The Red Clan was also bounty hunting more often and therefore they used her powers to track down the enemy. She would accompany them while clinging to Mikoto's sleeve but if the battle became too dangerous, she would be taken away by one of the members of Homra while the others fought on.

They clearly did not believe that she was strong enough to fight anyone for herself yet. Not only that, she was never dressed in clothing that would allow her to fight properly; she currently wore on that red and white dress she had been given on her twelfth birthday, along with those new red shoes that had heels.

Things had been like how it used to be before she had left for Seneca, and although she did miss Kei, Akemi, Natsume, Haru, Ryosuke and Aoi, Anna was unbelievably happy to be home.

Then school reopened she had had to leave. That was the morning she had been forced to leave Lion-O in Mikoto's arms.

Maria and Chitose got engaged. Seri occasionally came to the bar but it seemed as though the times she came in were when even she felt too frozen and cold and needed Izumo's words to warm her. Anna never used her marbles on Seri but she could sense that the woman's heart was torn in two and those two pieces of her already torn heart were broken.

She could maintain a high level of professionalism, but her personal life was in shambles. Izumo seemed to note this and often told her to come by more frequently, but sometimes more than a month would pass before they saw her again.

Kamamoto went through his annual cycle of skinny and fat and currently he was loosing weight again. Yata had assured Izumo that he would do online courses to receive his degree, but ended up ditching his books to become a professional skateboarder. He had even left the country to compete in world events twice in the last year.

Thankfully, the revamped bounty hunting profession of Homra helped him to finance his trips and he won large sums of cash in the events so he was no longer living 'from paycheck to paycheck'.

Shohei and Bando were in college in Shizume City and Eric still attended his in Tokyo. He also came back on holidays and worked at the bar in order to earn some extra cash to cover himself when the new semester started.

Fujishima still brought in strays, much to Izumo's dismay and Dewa got a new job. Everyone seemed to be doing fine.

The only problem was that Anna looked more like a fourteen or fifteen year old instead of thirteen. When she went to the mall with Kamamoto or any of the others and they left her alone, even for a moment, guys were always approaching her to speak to her. Her clansmen who were with her did not take too kindly to that and they frightened off anyone within a mile of her.

Anna did not really care much because none of the boys who approached her really interested her anyway. As for Akemi and Kei, they were perfectly alright...somewhat.

They were currently in their final year of Middle School and because Anna had skipped the first year, she would be graduating with them.

Anna's thoughts were momentarily distracted as Mikoto shifted to lie on his side and spoon her against him. She waited for him to turn away and let her go, but he did not. His arms remained around her, keeping her safely to his side, while poor Lion-O got shoved under a pillow. It seemed that Anna was Mikoto's first choice as 'snuggle-buddy'.

Anna sighed and recalled the relationship she had with her friends, as well as Kei's flirtatiousness over the last year;

_While sitting in the Finders' club room on the first day of school, Kei commented, "You girls know what's so special about our final year?" he asked with much enthusiasm._

"_We get to graduate?" Akemi replied. She had had to go back home over the Summer and it seemed that she had not had a lot of fun. From what she mentioned to Anna, her step mother and step sister did not bully her but pretended that she didn't exist. Unfortunately, her father acted the same way. _

_Kei's parents were still abroad but he had spoken to them over the phone while he spent time with his big brother. He claimed that he spent the Summer roaming Japan with his sibling. _

"_Yes, but that's not what I meant!" Kei replied. _

"_You meant that because the boys' school are allowed to take some classes in the girls' school for the purpose of creating more social interaction between us to make an ease of entry into the High School from a social perspective, you get to meet more girls," Anna stated. The schools' administration found more formal ways for students to interact on a classroom basis instead of just club activities so that when they entered High School, they would be more socially prepared to interact with members of the opposite sex. _

_Akemi and Kei blinked at Anna. She was playing with a red marble as she said it and she spoke with such a straight face that they were stunned. _

"_Is she even fourteen?" Kei demanded. _

"_Twelve," Anna replied. It was September of that year. She would be thirteen in December. _

"_Still?" Kei gasped. Then, he observed her with a keen eye. "are you sure you're twelve? Your boobs are too big."_

_Anna was tempted to chase him with her marbles for that comment but Akemi had already picked up a hardcover book and tossed it at him. He ducked before it whacked him straight in the head so that it slammed into the opposite wall instead._

"_That was such an inappropriate statement!" Akemi snapped. Anna did develop well over the Summer and yes, she did have breasts that were a bit larger than the typical thirteen year old, but they were not overly large. _

_Kei smiled feebly, "It was a joke! Just a joke!"_

_Akemi grasped him by the collar. She shook him-hard. _

"_You're a big pervert! Don't ever say such things to Anna!" _

_Kei suddenly smirk and he caught hold of Akemi's wrists. He calmly removed her hands from him, but kept his own over her wrists. He was significantly taller than Akemi and with a smile very much like Anna's Totsuka, "Do you want me to say them to you instead? I'm sure you would appreciate me complimenting you for your lovely golden hair, or those big blue eyes. The foreign blood runs strong in you, Akemi-chan and even your own body is starting to develop like those pretty, svelte French women," _

_Akemi's face went red. _

_Anna sighed wearily. This was Kei's way of bullying Akemi: smile but be a sadist toward her. It scared the hell out of the girl. _

_Akemi tried to pull out of his grasp. "Leave me alone!" _

_However he pulled her closer to him. "You don't want that, do you...Akemi-chan?"_

"_If you want to pick up girls, perhaps you try it on someone who isn't your friend," Anna suggested._

_Abruptly, Kei let go off Akemi. "I was just joking! It's all a joke!" he laughed. _

"_It didn't seem like that!" Akemi snapped behind him. _

_Kei turned around again. He smiled apologetically. "I hung out with my brother a lot over the summer. He's pretty good looking and likes to fool around with girls. Sorry. I guess some of his bad habits rubbed off on me,"_

"_That's a lame excuse! You're **always** like this! You and your brother are two perverts!"_

_Kei looked thoughtful, then he informed her, quite proudly too, "No, no my brother's even more of a hentai than I am,"_

_Anna blinked at his words. Akemi's mouth dropped open. _

"_What the hell kind of brother do you have?" Akemi demanded. _

"_Ah, he might be kind of strange but he's a good guy," Kei replied, making the other two girls wonder what sort of person Kei's brother really was. _

_Meanwhile, Kei took hold of one of Akemi's hands before she could pull away. His touch was gentler this time. Her skin was reddened around her wrist where had held her. He lifted her hand to his mouth before she could stop him and he lightly kissed it, almost apologetically. _

_Akemi snatched her hand away, blushing furiously. "You are such a playboy!"_

_Kei chuckled and walked to the door. "I'm determined to get a girlfriend this year, girls! Wish me luck!" he informed them with a wink. _

_Kei had had six girlfriends as of April the following year. They tended to break up with him because they did not like that his best friends were the two prettiest girls in school. Kei himself never seemed to particularly care because he would just start a relationship with another girl the following week probably. _

_Anna knew that Akemi still had feelings for their friend and even though it ate her (Akemi) up inside, she said nothing for Akemi truly believed that Kei cared for her somewhat as a friend, but didn't truly think of her as someone different from the other girls because he flirted with her the same way. _

_Even Anna was uncertain about Kei's feelings toward Akemi. He never pulled much flirtatious behavior with Anna herself, therefore showing that he actually respected her and her boundaries. Akemi, on the other hand, he touched and harassed very much in the same way he did other girls._

_Only he was a bit more sadistic when he tried to get back at her for something. _

_So, one could never really tell what he thought of Akemi-if she was simply one of the girls whose company he had to bear with more often, or if he truly considered her to be a real friend. _

* * *

When Mikoto woke up later, Anna was sleeping soundly, curled against his side with her head on his shoulder and her arms tucked beside him. It was Saturday evening and he had forced her to take a long nap with him. That meant that she might stay up longer that night and would probably watch television.

As long as he got the remote before her, he could watch whatever he wanted on television and she would have no say in it all.

Although if she showed him puppy eyes he probably wouldn't resist and would end up giving her the remote anyway.

Mikoto gently extracted himself from her and pulled Lion-O from under the pillow for her. He pushed him into her arms and she cuddled him close to her. He didn't hate the toy as much anymore. He did not understand how the feel of it could be a substitute for him, but it was soft and it was like a substitute for _her_ to him.

So, he wasn't _that_ irritated by its presence anymore. He might even kind of admit to himself that he sort of liked it because it was soft and cuddly like Anna.

Yet he still maintained a kind of 'love-hate' relationship with the plushie. Especially when he came to bed, only to find her hugging it instead of him, her King.

The room had a distinct chill so he made sure to get a blanket that he tucked safely around her. With a rare expression of tenderness, he brushed a strand of hair from her face. Then, he left her with a lingering feel of his warmth and went downstairs.

Upon entry into the bar, he paused at the sight of Yuki Natsume.

She smiled at him from over her shoulder as Izumo poured her a drink.

Mikoto nodded and walked over to the bar where he sat down beside her.

"Good evening, Mikoto. I'm sure you're surprised to see me here on a Saturday. Don't worry, I'm not taking Anna back to Seneca with me today,"

Mikoto had not voiced that that was his concern, but it had been and he was glad that Anna was his for the weekend.

"Why are you here then?" he questioned, not rudely at all. Natsume must have a serious problem if she came all the way to Shizume City to drink at Izumo's bar. She clearly had some matters of importance to discuss with them.

"Where's Anna?" she asked.

"She's sleeping,"

Natsume sighed in relief. "That's good. I wanted to talk to you first before I spoke to her,"

"What's going on?" Izumo questioned.

Natsume took a deep drink of her Vodka on rocks. Then she began to explain, "The Gold King is allowing the presence of three particular Blue Clan members into my schools,"

Mikoto and Izumo were shocked. "And who are these three?" Mikoto queried in a quiet voice.

"Awashima Seri, Munakara Reisi and Fushimi Saruhiko,"

Mikoto and Izumo looked at each other. Then at her.

"He's allowing the three highest ranking officials of Scepter 4 into your schools? Is there a serious problem?" Izumo asked.

Natsume sighed. "I made a formal request to him because there was a particular strain who, right before the events with the Rise had been convicted of three counts of attempted rape. Two of the victims were female. One was male. His power is basically 'sight beyond sight' where his vision is better than even that of an eagle's, He could therefore use his power to display voyeuristic behavior and invade people's privacy such as by watching someone get changing their clothes, even in the privacy of their bedroom,"

"What does he have to do with anything?" Mikoto questioned.

"When the issue with the Rise came up, the matter was set aside and if you recall, several Treaties regarding the treatment of strains, both criminal and non-criminal were ratified and amended. New provisions were added in order to help all of them get a boost into life that would give them a decent future,"

Mikoto and Izumo nodded.

Natsume continued, "Well, if it hadn't been for all the trouble caused by the Rise, more attention would have been paid to this particular man's case and I think that it affected the Court's decision where they claimed that they did not have enough evidence to convict him on _any_ of the counts of rape. However, they did take note that he did have voyeuristic behavior,"

"What does he have to do with Seneca Schools?" Izumo asked.

Natsume finished her drink. "The Treaties allow for fair treatment of all criminals including allowances that they could get any job as long as they passed certain tests,"

"Don't tell me that he got a job in your school," Izumo stated, very uneasy about it.

Natsume nodded. "He did. He applied to Seneca and he passed all the tests to show that he wasn't a disgusting pervert who would try to sexually abuse my students,"

Izumo winced at her words. "Did he get the job in the girls' school?"

Natsume shook her head. "The Boys' Middle School. I sent a report to the Gold King stating that I refused to let such a man into my school and to let him be near my students, whether or not there was evidence to prove that he tried to rape those teenagers or if he was a voyeur. The Gold King actually allowed for me to speak to him face to face about it. I went to meet him today and he told me that he understood my concerns and if he could properly have his way, he would not let that particular Strain anywhere near any school at all. However, even he was bound by the Treaties for he also placed his signature on them. By law, he is required to fulfill those Treaties in good faith. He pointed out to me that we cannot have prejudice against the Strain because of his past. What if he really was innocent? What if the Court was right? What if he had turned over a new leaf and was no longer such a pervert? We would actually be doing him a great injustice by not allowing him a second chance to make a good future for himself,"

"That's true," Izumo agreed reluctantly.

"I don't care if it's true! Do you want someone like that educating Anna?" Natsume demanded.

Mikoto and Izumo were silent, but it was enough for them to say 'no'.

"Exactly! Realistically, what parent would want someone like that near to their child? If Ryosuke was still a teen and going to Middle School and I heard that someone like that became a teacher, I would immediately remove him," Natsume added.

Mikoto and Izumo nodded.

"Unfortunately, the Treaty also requires that the past of the Strain not be revealed to the common public-that includes the students and the parents,"

"That's sort of ridiculous," Izumo commented.

"It is, but all of this was put out around the time of the issues of the Rise in hopes of attracting Strains to accept the protection given by Scepter 4 instead of having them fall into the hands of the Rise. However, it's turning out to be a real pain in the ass now. The Gold King informed me that he understood my concerns and therefore, he would allow for the appropriate people to enter into Seneca as undercover agents you could say, to keep an eye on this strain for a particular period of time,"

"And he chose-"

"He chose those three because of how sensitive this case is, and because Reisi Munakata was going on vacation and had nothing else to do so he thought this would be amusing. His second in command follows him like a puppy so she ended up coming along and that guy with the glasses, your former comrade, thought it would be interesting to see those two outside of their uniforms,"

Well, that _would_ definitely be interesting to see, Mikoto and Izumo thought. Although Izumo suspected that Seri's reasoning for going along was also to see how her King was outside of his uniform.

"I am a member of the Red Clan and I would prefer if it was people from my clan who handled the case. That was what I told the Gold King. However, he told me that we're too violent and rowdy to properly handle the matter,"

"That is true," Izumo agreed.

"Also, issues with strains are normally handled by the Blue Clan so they have jurisdiction. I don't want them in my schools because I do not trust them so I requested that a few members of the Red Clan also give their help,"

"Did the old man agree?" Mikoto asked as he lit a cigarette.

"He told me that if the Red King, his second in command and Yata Misaki agreed it would be just fine,"

* * *

Anna stirred when she felt Mikoto mouth against her cheek. She recognized his minty tobacco breath and opened her eyes in time to see him draw back. He had a dangerous look in his eyes, one which she hadn't seen since the situation with the Rise close to two years ago.

"Mikoto?" she murmured his name hesitantly after sitting up. The blanket slid to her lap with her movements. He sighed and glanced at her.

"I have to go," he informed her.

She tilted her head to the side. "Go?" she repeated.

He nodded. "Something came up. I may not be here tomorrow either,"

Anna looked down. Her hands fisted into the blanket and her mouth trembled slightly. It was the only indication that she was upset.

"Can't I...come along?" she asked.

"No,"

Anna turned her head away from him.

Mikoto let out a weary breath. He didn't like seeing her like this and under normal circumstances, he would stay but he had matters to sort out with Natsume. They had already devised a plan and he was heading to a research facility she contributed largely to.

Mikoto caught her arm and tugged her to him so that he could nuzzle his favorite spot above her ear.

"You know that if I could stay, I would," he told her gruffly. He kissed her cheek again. "Kamamoto will be here to stay with you,"

Anna had been thoroughly disappointed by Mikoto's lack of presence that night, the following day and Sunday night. Izumo had disappeared somewhere too but Chitose and Maria had come by on Sunday and taken her to the apartment they had recently moved into together. They didn't mind caring for her until Monday.

It had been nice spending time with the two. Chitose flirted outrageously with his new fiancee and there was no doubt that there was love between the two of them. Anna had liked the company of the other female as well who had learned to cook recently and was intent on fattening Anna up.

Anna tried to politely finish her food which had the taste of a beginner but she couldn't manage it all down. Maria hadn't minded for she understood that based on Anna's height and weight, she did not eat that much.

Very early on Monday morning, Kamamoto had collected her from Chitose and Maria's and had taken her back to the bar to get ready for school. And so she did, disappointed that there was no Mikoto to hold her tightly before she left again. So, properly dressed in her uniform, she stuffed Lion-O into her backpack, hugged Kamamoto goodbye and entered the car that was waiting for her to return her to Seneca.

* * *

Anna became suspicious when she came home and found that Natsume wasn't there. Neither Ryosuke _nor_ Haru. Chef had cheerfully made her a sandwich and some tea for breakfast but had stated that he did not know where everyone was.

Frowning, Anna packed her schoolbag and headed to the school. Today there would be classes with the boys. She was dressed in her usual checkered red skirt with the white shirt, red jacket and ribbons with her hair tied up into a ponytail.

To her utter shock as she entered the school gates, standing before her, dressed in a proper suit and perfectly neart tie was _Munakata Reisi._

He smirked and adjusted his glasses upon sight of her.

"Good morning, Kushina-chan. I was very surprised to find your name on the list of girls who would be taking algebra with me this morning. Suoh really does take extreme measures to ensure your safety,"

"Reisi...Munakata," she whispered and took a step back out of surprise.

Reisi took a step forward. "I must say, you look quite adorable in your uniform. It's a good change,"

Anna moved back again, but her body hit against something hard. She felt a familiar warmth surround her and two hands caught hold of her shoulders.

"Are you some sort of hentai teacher? Why are you harassing my little sister?" came a voice that very similar to her beloved Red King's.

Anna pulled away and spun around, wide eyed at the person standing before her. She blinked several times, trying to figure out if she was going crazy.

He was not as tall as her Mikoto. In fact, she probably reached him to just under his chin. His hair was not pushed back, but grew downward. Yet, it was still that beautiful, red color. He was slimmer but still fit and he had an even more sour expression on his face. He watched her with a lopsided frown about his mouth. In fact, he was wearing on a school uniform that matched the boys' school!

Anna could have still doubted that it was him, had it not been for the red she saw in his chest area. Only Mikoto had that pretty red.

"Heh. Suoh huh? What a strange turn of events," Munakata sneered. "It seems that Natsume Yuki found someone to experiment on."

Anna barely heard Reisi's words because out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kei a distance away. He was obviously oblivious to the situation because he grinned widely and waved to her from a distance.

Anna had been in odd situations before.

Dangerous situations.

Life and death situations.

But none where she was caught in the middle of three males she would not like to be surrounded by at the same time.

Anna could barely think straight in her bewildered situation. Her mind was growing cloudy with mental confusion.

There was only one thing she _could_ think of doing.

Run.

That was the one word that crossed her mind.

Grabbing this younger Mikoto's arm, she pulled him with her, forcing him to run with her as if the devil was at their heels.

* * *

_**A/N: A strange turn of events! I was wondering if to make Mikoto younger here because I think the interaction between him and Anna would be really interesting with them closer in age. The next chapter will explain how he got to be like that, as well as a little more on the potentially perverted strain and his court cases, and of course, Munakata. **_

_**Mikoto just might finally meet Kei!**_

_**And Lion-O has been kind of accepted by Mikoto. Kind of ;)**_

_**Thank you so much, all of you who reviewed! Your words truly motivated to keep on writing:**_

**Bree Renee: First or last, I always look forward to hearing from you! I'm so glad you loved this chapter, and Lion-O :)**

**xNightDreamerx: If anywhere sold a Lion-O, I'd purchase one too! I guess this chapter answers your question about another villain. He's a potential villain :)**

**ladeste: I think that if Anna said their reds were the same, Mikoto might feel more inclined to turn Lion-O to ash. At least he sort of likes him now :) **

**Indochine: Kei wouldn't deliberately put Anna in danger...at least I don't think so :p With his sword healing, he won't be dying, at least not any time soon :) Good luck with college this year. Well, for me my lecturers already shoved a load of work on me. I hate it, but it's better than being unemployed and at home doing absolutely nothing. I mean I'm miserable about going back because it takes up time when I have to write this story which I truly enjoy doing, but before I started this story I was pretty bored and miserable. I guess it has its ups and downs :)**

**Ambivalencia: Well, Mikoto kind of likes Lion-O now. It's his substitute for Anna! By the way, I did check out the song lyrics and it really does remind me of Anna and Mikoto's relationship. Yeah, I think older Anna and Mikoto make a cute couple :)**

**D: Well it looks like they're finally gonna meet! I'm excited. Yeah this guy who I've known since I was a child claimed he got through with a job for me and then asked me to just help him with some stuff that he didn't know how to do, but assumed that I did. He offered to pay me too, but since I assumed that the job he got for me was real I wouldn't take any money because he had done me a big favor. I tried to help him out by googling stuff for him and sending him links and I haven't heard from him or the person who was supposedly going to hire me although he told me that she would call. What irritates me is that he did not have to lie. All he had to do was ask me to help him and I would have and I wouldn't have wanted anything in return either. Anyway, sorry for babbling on about that :/Thanks for your lovely words though and I'm glad you liked the chapter :)**

**Shiary: Hello my dear! I mentioned that bit in this chapter about how Anna accompanied them when she tracked the enemy but they took her away if the fights became dangerous because of your review :) Sorry if it wasn't very detailed, but perhaps in future chapters, it will be mentioned more. And don't worry, she'll fight for real. Maybe not quite yet, but she will ;)**

**Angelgirl236: You're Angelgirl's younger sis? How are you? No, Kei's brother isn't Totsuka-san. Sorry :/ But he'll be introduced in later chapters :)**

**annashina: Haven't heard from you in a while! How are you? Glad you liked the chapter :)**

**Arius the Heretic: Well, Akemi and Kei are going to get introduced to Mikoto :) I'm glad you liked the previous chapter, including Mikoto's jealousy of Lion-O :)**

**Mienchan-ish: Hm...you just might see more of Reisi/Seri in future chapters. I think I feel jealous of Lion-O: he gets cuddled by Mikoto now :/ **

**Titania: I'm glad you like their friendship! And that you think Lion-O is cute! **

**Nobody Special: Hello my special person! Thanks for your lovely words, and I'm glad that you really liked the chapter! Hope you like this one too :)**

**creativeactivesrs: Their physical appearances? I did mention it before, but I guess that I didn't really go into any detail with them. Except Akemi. I think this chapter has some details about Akemi's appearance though: she's has long, deep yellow hair and blue eyes with a lovely figure. I think that an anime character who might come close to her appearance is probably Christine Robbins from Itazura na Kiss. Natsume herself was based a little on Tsunade and therefore I pictured her Haru's appearance to be like Dan's from Naruto. His personality etc. is nothing like Dan's though. Ryosuke is a bit harder to describe. I think that maybe you can picture him to be like Kiyokazu Fujimoto from Kobato, only without the long ponytail and with black hair instead. Also, he doesn't wear glasses all the time. Hope that helps :) By the way, your English was perfect :)**

**LindyLinn: I'm so glad to know to know you loved the chapter! It would be interesting to see how Akemi interacts with the guys from Homra :)**

**nannerlovessnickers: Glad you loved this chapter :)**

**_How did you like this chapter? Let me know your thoughts. Thank you also to all those who follow and favorite this story. I truly appreciate it. _  
**

**_God bless :)_**


	31. His Important Person

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_*****A/N: In the last chapter, I left out a word. I fixed it and therefore, just to let you know in case you haven't re-read it, Anna does NOT have overly large breasts. There's a little description about her physical appearance here and there in this chapter so I hope that helps.**_

_** Sorry about that-I was typing way past my bed time and I was enjoying the chapter so much, that I sat there with red eyes, glued to the computer screen typing away although I was sleepy (that's a typical scenario with me) so that's probably why I missed out that very important word which indicated that Anna does not have large breasts. Sorry :/ Anyway, here's the new chapter. Enjoy :)**  
_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 31: His Important Person

Munakata Reisi was a man of discipline. He exercised it. He demanded it.

And his subordinates disliked him for it.

That was why none of them liked drinking with him. He also had a tendency to be highly insulting once consuming too much alcohol. The crazy thing about it was that he maintained discipline even while being insulting because he was so subtle about it in his comments.

He _didn't_ have to do this. He didn't have to take on this matter at all. He could have had a vacation, lounging around on some warm climate, sipping on a cocktail somewhere on a lovely beach.

But that would have become a bore for a man like Munakata Reisi.

He liked having things to do.

He enjoyed impressing discipline.

Or so he liked to tell himself.

The truth of the matter was that in his younger days, he had been a bit of a wild brat. In terms of studies, he was strict with himself. He was a kendo champion and it taught him good discipline. However, his pretty features attracted women liked flies to honey and he had enjoyed quite a string of women before becoming a King. He was not as bad as Mikoto in terms of temper, but when he got angry,_ he got angry_. He drank while still being underage and started smoking at sixteen. He got into fights occasionally and ran the streets like a dog that escaped from captivity once his exams finished.

However, once becoming a King, he had had to exercise as much discipline as much as possible in all aspects of his life due to the enormity of the power he held inside of him. It was not as fierce as the Red King's, but it was his high level of discipline that helped him keep his Sword of Damocles in good shape.

There was always that fear inside of him that by going a little wild, even for just a moment, he would loose control of himself.

Hence, taking on this assignment from the Gold King had suited him perfectly fine. He would be able to exercise strictness on a lower level-meaning at school-and be able to relax with an even less workload.

The Gold King had taken over the matters with the Strains for Scepter 4 for now, so it was alright that Seri and Fushimi with him.

As he watched a young Suoh Mikoto being dragged off by his little doll comrade, he pondered on his subordinate who had once been a part of their lives, and how he was coping in his new situation.

* * *

He was a student.

A _High School_ student.

_He was twenty one years old and a High School student!_

Fushimi Saruhiko was not pleased with his current situation. He was dressed in khakis with a white shirt, black tie and red jacket around his shoulders.

Such a _disgusting_ situation!

Maybe under different circumstances, he would have been fine with it. After all, they needed an insider in the High School to ensure that the potentially perverted teacher was not tracking any of the High Schoolers.

He had been dissatisfied but still accepting of his position.

Until he heard that Misaki Yata would be here too. He had perked up at that for he hoped to compete with his former best friend. He could laugh at him for lagging behind him and then challenge him to catch up to him. It was such a glorious feeling to be up against Misaki Yata.

Exhilarating.

Exciting.

Lots of damned fun. He knew that even Yata enjoyed their face-offs even if he would never admit it.

However Fushimi had learned some very dismal news yesterday.

Yata Misaki had not entered as a student into the school although he suited the role of a high schooler better than even Fushimi due to his height.

No; the brat was the assistant coach in the High School! Fushimi mumbled to himself as he strode through the corridors to the school while the other students made sure to keep out of his way for he truly had a scary expression on his face.

* * *

Yata was a world class skateboarder now. He was a _professional_. He won all the competitions at home and currently held two world records.

However, he did not know how to deal with his current situation.

"Oh my God, it's Yatagarasu!" a girl squealed and suddenly, he was surrounded by a bunch of pretty girls who were screaming for his autograph.

Yata had managed to keep his usual hat on in the school because it was recognized as his trademark as the professional skateboarder, Yatagarasu.

However, he still had to dress in a proper shirt with black dress pants and a black tie. He hated this.

Especially being surrounded by_ a lot_ of pretty girls.

Most of who were not of a legal age to be near him.

"Oi, you airheads! He obviously has work to do, so leave him alone!" came a familiar voice.

The girls froze and turned to see Fushimi standing there with a book under his arm and his hands shoved into his pockets.

"Hey that guy's good looking," one girl stated.

"But his attitude stinks," another added.

Fushimi smirked, "This coming from a bunch of shallow girls who appreciates the guy only because he's famous and not because he's talented? How disgusting,"

The girls gasped. "That is so not true!" some of them argued and ran over to him. They started yelling at Fushimi defending themselves although not one could name the current world title Yata held.

Meanwhile, one petite girl who wore on a set of glasses with reddish brown hair remained at Yata's side.

"Um...Yata-san, I really admire you and I enjoyed the last competition where you set the world record," She was blushing more than him and her words were sincere. She looked up at him with wide brown eyes. "I-"

Before she could continue, she was shoved away by several guys who had taken the place of the girls.

"This awesome! It's Yatagarasu!" some of the guys began to comment.

Although Yata was more comfortable around the guys, he was concerned about the girl, and he wanted to yell at Fushimi to not fight his battles for him.

Despite this, a part of him was still grateful to the guy.

He tiptoed to look above the crowd and saw that Fushimi was helping up the girl who had been shoved away. Yata forced his way through the crowd and came to the two.

"Hey!" he snapped.

The girl and Fushimi looked up. Yata looked away, blushing furiously. "Are you...are you alright?"

She nodded and stood up on her own quickly. She bowed apologetically.

Yata turned to the guys. "Hey, be gentler with the girls!" he snapped angrily and the guys immediately bowed in very much the same manner as the girl did.

Yata turned back to her. "Er...what's your name?"

Perhaps blushing even more than Yata, she replied after straightening up, "Emi Kyou,"

"Ah well, it's nice to meet you, Emi,"

The girl bowed again. "I'm so grateful! I mean pleased! I mean grateful!" The girl shook her head to get rid off her fluster. Then, she smiled and it lit up her whole face beautifully. On a calmer, but still excited note, she said, "I'm so glad to be able to meet you!"

Then she ran off.

Fushimi tsked. "Hmph. I don't know which of you was more nervous,"

Yata scowled. "So you really are a student here now, Fushimi,"

Fushimi shrugged. "You should have been a student instead. We have nothing to compete in, Misaki. How boring," he lamented and walked away.

Yata clicked his tongue in annoyance. If he knew Fushimi well enough, the bastard would _find_ something to challenge him in. Secretly, Yata looked forward to it.

* * *

Seri prepared the large room given to her to use to teach ballroom dancing. There was a dance coming up for the final year Middle School students and she was required to teach them how to dance. As Seri went over her list of students, a particular name came up.

Izumo Kusanagi.

She had known that Izumo would be teaching here too, but she hadn't known he had applied to be her assistant.

"Damn you, Izumo," she growled.

* * *

Izumo sneezed as he strode through the halls of the Middle School. He was looking forward to spending time with Awashima-_sensei_.

* * *

Anna was stopped from running when Mikoto sudden caught her arm with his free one.

"Oi, why are we running?" he demanded. His voice was not as deep. It was easy to tell that it was Mikoto's, but it still held a type of youth in it-the type that hadn't grown gravelly with fighting too many battles over the years.

Anna, looked at him from over her shoulder. "You and Munakata would probably fight,"

Mikoto let her go and folded his arms. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Do you think I'd bother with that guy?"

Anna swallowed. No, she didn't believe he would fight with Reisi there. For whatever bizarre reason that Munakata was a teacher and Mikoto a student, they wouldn't fight in Seneca. One was because Munakata would take his role too seriously as a teacher and therefore would not fight physically with a student. As for Mikoto, he probably wouldn't waste his time.

"Mikoto. What's going on? Why are you so little?" she questioned as she turned around.

He twitched at the word 'little' and reached to her and pinched her cheek hard. "Listen you brat, I am not little, alright?" he growled as he tugged at her soft skin.

"Mikoto! Anna! I've been searching all over for you!" came Natsume's voice.

Mikoto let her go and she covered her reddened cheek with a hand as they both turned to see Natsume standing there.

She frowned at the sight of them. "I had hoped to speak to Anna before you did, Mikoto. She must be terribly confused,"

Mikoto didn't say anything.

"Anna, let me explain," Natsume said and proceeded to tell her about the Strain who had come into her school and everything she had told Izumo and Mikoto on Saturday.

"But why did the Gold King choose Izumo, Mikoto and Yata?" Anna asked.

Natsume scowled. "That old guy looks like he's running out of things to amuse himself in his old age. Anyway, Seri Awashima will be a dance tutor here. Fushimi and Yata will keep an eye out in the High School in case that guy is preying on High School students. You and I are already in the Girls' school while the Blue King and Izumo are in the Boys' middle school. We needed a student there just in case. We couldn't choose Yata because he wouldn't pass as a middle school student. Plus he's too famous now. It seemed more likely that he would be taken in as a coach in this elite school because it is not uncommon for us to take world class sportsmen to train students in the school,"

Anna nodded and glanced at Mikoto who looked bored as ever with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"But Mikoto...?"

"The only position remaining available is that of a student in the Boys' school. During the situation with the Rise, a unique strain came to us who had the ability to revert a person back to how he or she was in his or her younger days,"

Anna glanced at Mikoto who was yawning. "So Mikoto was transformed by him?"

"Yes. He is now fourteen years old,"

"But he looks like sixteen," Anna commented as she titled her head to the side and glanced at him. She had used the words 'little' before because that was how he was compared to his twenty six year old self. At fourteen, he looked like sixteen.

Mikoto turned his full attention to her with his hands staying in his pockets. He gave her a long hard look from the toes of her white sneakers, up her thin, long legs, to the roundness of her hips and the pinch of her waist, to the curves of her chest and up to that pretty doll-like face of hers.

"Unless you stuff apples in your bra, you look like fourteen or fifteen,"

Natsume slapped a hand to her face. "Mikoto," she groaned.

Anna didn't really pay any mind to his words. It was _Mikoto_ after all. Had it been Kei, she would have probably found a way to get at him for his words if Akemi didn't at first.

However, something bothered her. Mikoto _wouldn't_ say such things to her because technically he was still twenty six years old and normally wouldn't say anything so strange to her.

"Anna, Mikoto also doesn't have many memories of what happened for the next twelve years,"

"I see," Anna murmured. She frowned and looked at Mikoto. "So you don't remember anything at all?"

He shrugged. "I get vague recollections. Sometimes something triggers off a memory,"

"So you don't...remember me at all?"

Mikoto frowned. Somehow he could tell that the girl would be saddened by that idea. Her expression did not change, but somehow from the look in her eyes, he knew. Somewhere deep inside of his mind began to spew forth images of an expressionless girl whose emotions he could easily read either by her words or some very, very tiny change in her facial features or her tone of voice. Whether it be by the tightening of her lips, a certain blink or simply the way her eyes stared, he could tell.

"I know you're important," he answered carefully. "and that's enough."

That seemed to satisfy her, for she paused and then blinked at him before her face softened a little.

"Over time his memories will return while he's still in this form. Of course he won't be like this forever. He has a few weeks before he returns to normal,"

"Will that be enough time?" Anna queried.

"I hope so,"

Mikoto grunted in annoyance. "Since you're shamelessly using a fourteen year old kid as bait for a pervert, how about feeding him?"

Natsume looked frustrated at his words. "Don't say it like that! You're really twenty six and you're a powerful king who is capable of defending himself! Don't you at least have the memory of becoming one?"

Yes, he did recall how he became a king, and how Totsuka and Izumo had been at his side. He also knew Totsuka had died. Perhaps because his memories remained dormant in him, he had not been surprised at all and already accepting but still saddened.

"Yeah, but I'm still hungry," Mikoto replied with a shrug.

"Come on, I'll have Chef make you a sandwich. You still have a half hour before school so you can eat it at home,"

"I was hoping for beef," Mikoto stated.

"Fine, fine. You'll get a roast beef sandwich," Natsume sighed as she ushered the two away.

"Mikoto will be staying with us? What about Yata and Izumo?" Anna questioned.

"Well, Izumo preferred to stay with Aoi because Aoi knows as much about liquor as he does about motorcycles and Yata didn't seem comfortable with staying at my house. He said it was much too nice compared to what he was accustomed to and accepted an available place at the teachers' condos,"

The teachers who were at Seneca stayed in a building with different apartments. From what she had learned, the apartments were top of the line and really nice.

"He accepted that?"

"He didn't want to. He had wanted to stay in the boys' dorms but I could only let him stay there under the condition that he became the dorm manager. That's the school rules. We already have one so he took the condo,"

"Won't the students find it strange that there are so many new faces in here?" Mikoto asked.

"No," Natsume replied. "it is normal for us to rotate teachers throughout the school terms. We are very strict about our policies regarding teachers where as long as someone better comes along, the former teacher is removed. This is something stated to all of our teachers in the job description and therefore they cannot complain when laid off,"

"Tough," Mikoto muttered.

"So if you find someone better for this job than this strain, you could make him leave," Anna commented.

Bitterly, Natsume responded, "Unfortunately, the Treaties don't let it get to be so easy. If I were to make him leave, I would have to bring the case forward to the Court who would have to look into matters to see if I violated any of his Rights as a strain. They would also require an evaluation of the new teacher to find out if he really is any better than the Strain,"

"How stupid," Mikoto said as they walked through the school gates and headed toward Natsume's house. "no human is given that kind of treatment."

"You're correct. And it certainly is stupid. It was also pointed out that equal treatment of strains are put forward, yet humans are being treated unequally as the strains are given more favor instead of them. They're in the process of amending the Treaties again. Unfortunately, this takes a lot of time,"

Anna thought suddenly, "Wouldn't it be simple for me to use my marbles and see what his true intentions are?"

Mikoto was the one to immediately reply. With serious eyes, he answered, "No. If that man really tried to abuse those kids, then you shouldn't be looking into him to see such things and God alone knows what else is inside of that dirty mind,"

She was important, that was what something deep inside of him was saying. Very important. So important that she was precious to him and he instinctively acted on those thoughts.

Anna nodded, understanding what he had just said.

"Anna, are you hungry? Did you eat already? If you haven't, I'm quite sure that Akemi has some stuff to sort out with you before class starts," Natsume stated.

Anna immediately knew that she was basically telling Anna to do something about Kei.

"Of course. But what should I tell them about Mikoto? That he's my brother?" Anna questioned.

"Yes. It is a fact that neither of you resemble so if anyone asks, you're adopted. It does go well with the fact that you both have different surnames," Natsume answered.

Anna nodded. She turned to Mikoto who was still looking bored. She hurried to his side, grasped his hand and kissed his cheek quickly. Mikoto was stunned by her action.

When she drew back, she said, "I'll see you soon, Mikoto,"

Mikoto's cheeks went red as he watched her hurry off. He snorted. "Cheeky brat," he mumbled to himself.

Natsume smiled gently and had Mikoto follow her inside where the Chef proceeded to make a delicious sandwich for him. Chef was very welcoming to the new guest at the house for he looked forward to feeding another mouth with his delicious food. He therefore piled the sandwich high with the highest quality, cooked to perfection, slices of beef.

"So how is it? It's perfect isn't it?" Chef asked as Mikoto bit into it. Chef's chest was swollen with pride because he knew that this was perhaps his most exquisite sandwich ever. No doubt the teenager eating it was impressed.

Mikoto drank some milk before replying, "The meat's a little tough,"

Chef's face fell to the floor.

* * *

Anna was comfortable with the older Mikoto. Probably because the maturity he had gained over the years had toned down his temper and because she knew where she stood with him. He had a soft spot for her and used to be extra careful with her because she was much smaller than him. That affected his treatment of her in the future years at Homra and therefore he was always gentle: because she was a child, female and so little.

Even if he grabbed her roughly when taking a nap to cuddle her, his touch was gentle. He never hurt her.

Except when he pinched her cheek.

That was why he rarely ever did that because he couldn't stand to see the red mar on her face from it.

This Mikoto was more short tempered. Probably hard headed and probably stubborn. They were closer in age and it seemed that he probably wouldn't show her the same gentleness that her older Mikoto did. Yet, his reasoning seemed to be the same.

_'You're important. And that's enough'_ showed that he didn't need to know a lot of details, only just enough to make a proper decision. That in itself showed that he was still a bit mature. The problem was that she did not know where she stood with _this_ Mikoto.

However, in her heart, he was still her Mikoto. She may not know where she stood with him, but she knew where _he_ stood with her and he still had the number one spot in her heart.

She would not treat him any differently.

After all, his red was still the prettiest.

* * *

"Anna, you're a bit late. We only have fifteen minutes to class," Akemi stated. Then she frowned, "Unfortunately I don't have classes with you. We're separated today so you're going to the Boys' school."

The school operated in the students' final year where the girls and boys were separated into two groups and different times for different classes. Half the girls would exchange with half the boys so this morning, Anna fell into the group of girls who had to have classes in the boys' school.

Anna turned to Kei who was lounging in a corner behind a computer in the Finders' clubroom. "Did you get the Girls' school?"

He seemed a little surprise at her interest.

"Good morning to you too, Anna dear and no-I'm remaining in my school,"

Akemi sensed that Anna was concerned over something.

"What's wrong?" she asked the white haired girl.

Anna glanced over at Kei. "One of my brothers is coming to this school,"

Akemi and Kei were surprised. "What? How come?" Akemi questioned.

"That's so cool! I always wondered what your family was like!" Kei told her.

Anna shook her head. "I want you to stay away from him. My family is overprotective. Kei, my brother will kill you for being near to me," she told him seriously.

Kei laughed. "Anna, you're exaggerating!"

"I wouldn't exaggerate about this," Anna said very seriously.

"How dangerous could your brother be, Anna?" Kei asked with a big grin.

"He had several years of training in different forms of martial arts including Muay Thai and he is also a kickboxing champion. He has never lost a fight and won't hesitate to rearrange your face," Anna answered without a change in her tone of voice or expression.

Kei paled at her words. "So who is this lovely guy? How shall I recognize him to avoid him?"

"He's pretty," Anna responded with a straight face.

Akemi and Kei looked at each other. "Anna, that isn't a good description," Kei pointed out when their attention turned back to her.

Anna thought again. "Pretty red hair," she tried and added as she recalled the color of his eyes, "golden eyes and a nice face."

"That's better. Your brother sounds very handsome," Kei commented.

"He is," Anna agreed.

Akemi frowned. "Are you really related? He sounds so different,"

"It's Akemi's infatuation with shojo manga. She's picturing you guys as having the forbidden romance of non-blood related siblings," Kei said.

"That-that isn't true!" Akemi snapped but her cheeks were flushed red.

"Don't worry I won't tell anyone of your love for romantic manga," Kei informed her. Akemi was known as a 'cool' beauty. Even during the incident with the bullying, she had never looked depressed or miserable in front of classmates; she had shown no emotion over it. She didn't seem as expressionless as Anna for she still smiled and got angry, but she never showed her emotion outrageously. Akemi liked that image and worked hard to protect it.

Akemi looked suspicious. "Why not?"

Kei grinned. "So you admit that you love them!"

"I-I didn't!"

"You did! I've seen the way you moon over your textbooks so I peeked into one when we were studying one day and you went to the bathroom! I was surprised. I didn't think you were like that at all, Akemi," Kei told her slyly. Then, he whipped out a book. It was one of Akemi's shojo mangas.

Akemi's expression was one of outrage.

"No! Where did you find it?!" she cried and lunged at him for her book. However, Kei moved out of the way in time so that Akemi dove to the ground instead and landed on her face. She leaned on her forearms and glowered when she saw Kei press his lips against it lovingly.

"If you want this back, you have to do exactly. As. I. Say."

Then, he stooped down in front of Akemi and pressed a hand to the side of her face. With a completely warm look, he said softly, "And you will, won't you, my sweet Akemi?"

Akemi was baring her teeth at him, seething with rage.

Anna, pitying her friend, walked over to them and easily snatched the book from Kei.

"Ah! Nooo! Anna, without it I'm vulnerable!" Kei cried out and immediately, an enraged Akemi stood up.

She laughed evilly and cracked her knuckles. "So who's gonna do what for you?"

Kei turned to Anna. "Have mercy damn it!" he begged.

"Then promise me you won't approach my brother," Anna replied.

"I promise! I promise!" he vowed as Akemi neared him, fist ready to bash him.

Anna dropped the book in his hand again and Akemi's rage disappeared. "No! Anna you've betrayed me!" she sobbed.

Anna walked over to her and whispered quietly. "Just bear with me,"

Anna had never requested such a thing of her so Akemi knew that Kei would probably get a good beating if Anna's brother ever knew he was her friend. So, she nodded.

* * *

Anna arrived in class before Mikoto and Kei.

She recalled the name of the Strain that Natsume had told her about: Orochi Iwao. He would be teaching biology and Natsume had ensured that Mikoto had classes with him. Despite Kei's possible demise with Mikoto being at school, Anna could not deny that she was glad that her most treasured person was here as well.

No matter what age he was, he was still her Mikoto and no matter what temperament he was or how many memories he had of her, he was still hers. She was pleased that he would be at her side more often and she was interested in interacting more with this younger Mikoto.

Anna took a window seat in the second row which was just one seat behind the teacher's desk. Slowly, people filtered in. Kei came in, nodded to her and then took a seat somewhere in the back where several girls were who were delighted to have his company.

Finally, their new algebra teacher entered.

The girls in class were squealing with delight.

"Did you see how handsome he is? He's got black hair and such a pretty face!" one girl exclaimed. Another seemed to be about to hyperventilate.

Suddenly, Munakata's deep voice cut through the chatter of the students.

"His voice is so manly," another girl whispered beside Anna. Anna hardly paid any mind. These people obviously did not know that they were seated in the same room with one of the most powerful men in Japan.

But obviously not as powerful as Mikoto in Anna's eyes.

"I am your new Algebra teacher, Munakata Reisi. You may call me Munakata-sensei. I expect nothin but absolute discipline from all of you. I want my assignments done on time and completed within the given timeframe and handed in not even _one_ second late." His voice strict. He pulled out a long ruler and whacked the edge of the desk where a student in front, a boy, was slouching. "I demand proper posture in my class and I want you to pay attention to every word I say. And believe me," his voice grew cold and he adjusted his glasses, "I _will_ know if you're not paying attention."

Everyone in the room became frightened.

Although some girls were close to having nosebleeds. "He's so forceful. I like that," Anna heard someone remark.

Anna was the only one who remained unfascinated by Reisi.

"I will start asking questions from your last class. But before I do, there's a new student joining you today," As if on cue, the door opened and Mikoto was standing there, next to Natsume. Reisi smirked and motioned for him to come in.

Mikoto shoved his hands in his pockets and entered the room. The girls gasped.

"Two new guys. Two _hot_ guys," one girl said with her mouth open. Other girls were drooling or had stars in their eyes.

Anna grew irritated for that. She didn't care if they looked at Reisi. However, Mikoto was a different story.

"This is our lucky day!" another girl exclaimed.

"But he's scary looking. He looks like he would pelt a chair if someone approached him the wrong way," another girl stated.

There were murmurs of agreement.

"Quiet!" Natsume snapped as she came to stand beside Mikoto. Then, she said carefully to Mikoto, "please introduce yourself."

Mikoto sighed as if it was a huge chore to him. "I'm Mikoto Suoh. Please take care of me,"

"Hm, it would be polite if you said a little more to the others. After all, these are the people who you will be interacting with for a long time," Reisi commented.

"That won't be necessary, Munakata-sensei. It's late enough as it is and Suoh has had a difficult morning so far," To the others, she added, "please treat him well."

Mikoto nodded to her and walked over to the empty seat in front of Anna. He didn't look at her as he slung his backpack over the chair before dropping into it. Anna looked from him to Natsume and Reisi. Reisi merely nodded. "Very well, Natsume-sensei. We shall proceed with class,"

Natsume left and Reisi turned to everyone.

"We will review linear and quadratic equations today. Since Suoh-kun is new today, I'd like to see how much he knows so that we can proceed,"

Anna realized that Reisi was probably doing this as a way of getting back at Mikoto for the many times they clashed over issues when they were forced to work together to handle the matters with the strains.

Normally, she wouldn't think that the Blue King would act in such a way, but it seemed that he liked to prod and heckle at Mikoto, as much as Mikoto liked to do the same to him-if he felt like it because sometimes he just didn't seemed to not care at all and would ignore Reisi.

It bothered Anna about how such a relationship would work out in a classroom. The teacher had the power here and Reisi was prodding at Mikoto in a subtle way. While he might seem as simply being reasonable in the eyes of the other the students, the truth was that he was actually challenging Mikoto.

"Write this down in your notebook: x squared minus three x minus four is equal to zero. Solve it for me," he instructed Mikoto.

"x equals minus one or positive four," Mikoto responded.

Reisi's eyes widened slightly. Mikoto shrugged. "It factors in easily,"

Reisi's eyes became more serious. Softly, he stated, "My, you are brilliant. More brilliant than I expected you to be, Suoh-kun. Perhaps I should give you a large sum of questions to do,"

Mikoto smirked at Reisi. "That wouldn't make any sense, Munakata-sensei. If I know how to solve the questions, your giving me more work to do becomes pointless,"

Thoughtfully, Reisi remarked, "Perhaps you are right. And perhaps you shouldn't be here, Suoh-_kun_,"

"Anymore than you should, Munakata-_sensei_," Mikoto returned on the same note.

The two held eye contact for a long moment. The atmosphere between them was so strained that it seemed to crackle with tension.

"Do those two hate each other?" someone to the back murmured.

Anna knew that neither would back down from their staring contest. So, she raised her hand, forcing him to look at her, "Munakata-sensei, our last teacher left off with the quadratic formula. Perhaps we should start from there,"

The other students were surprised that she of all people had bothered to speak. Normally she was as silent as a mouse in the class room and only spoke if the teacher asked her to do so.

Reisi chuckled very, very softly. "Yes, I think you are right,"

And he began to teach.

Mikoto stood up sometime during the class and walked outside.

Anna watched him go.

Mikoto had a strange scar on the centre of his chest. He had never really bothered with it, but for some reason, it tingled and a memory came back to him.

_A regretful look was on the dark haired man's face as he lifted his sword. Mikoto's arms were held open wide, ready to embrace death. _

_And the man drove his sword through him. _

_Mikoto welcomed the pain as he slumped forward and grasped the man before him. _

_'I'm sorry, Anna. I won't be able to show you that lovely red anymore'_

"Mikoto?" Anna's voice came behind him.

He looked at the girl from over his shoulder. "What?"

Tentatively, she walked toward him and looked at him with her wide dark eyes. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Mikoto recalled memories of looking at those eyes from a much higher distance and they worked to effectively get him to do what she wanted. He suspected that if she tried, she could use puppy eyes on him from this even shorter distance to get what she wanted from him.

"I'm fine," he assured her gruffly. He placed a hand on her head. "I've been through school before. Don't forget that."

Lightly, he mussed her hair before walking away from her. After all, he had come to this school for a purpose, and that purpose was for Iwao-sensei.

Mikoto passed by a the biology lab. He had been given a map earlier of the school and where the classrooms were. He had quickly memorized it. He opened the door to the lab where Iwao was teaching.

The potential pervert was actually a handsome man. He had long rust colored hair that was tied to the back of his head. He was quite fit with black eyes and pale skin. He looked like what girls would call a 'bishonen'.

Iwao smiled when he saw Mikoto, despite the fact that his class had been interrupted by his abrupt presence.

"Oh hello. Are you in my class?"

Mikoto grunted. Normally he would just shut the door and walk off but that would look suspicious. Instead, he replied, "I thought you were dissecting frogs, but you're not,"

"Well, that's a High School lesson. Perhaps later on you can enjoy it,"

"Yeah," Mikoto replied and calmly shut the door.

This guy looked like a typical good looking teacher who the girls all had the hots for. He seemed friendly and kind for he hadn't been angry at all for having his class interrupted.

Yet, he had been accused of three counts of rape on a male and two females. Orochi Iwao had been a lab assistant in a school previously and not a teacher, and three students came forward with claims against him that he had forced himself on them during after-school hours.

The only reason why they got away was because there was a janitor who worked after school and although he was old, somewhat deaf with poor eyesight, Iwao had not risked getting caught when he spotted the janitor passing by the labs and therefore the students got away. Although he threatened them, one of the students had become frightened enough to report it and then the other two came forward.

His voyeuristic tendencies were revealed when a warrant for his laptop and other materials had been issued by the Court where they found that he had several pictures of women changing their clothes in the area he lived in. It seemed that he lived in a high rise apartment with a balcony. All he had to do was stand there, look around, use his power and he would get a pretty good view of what others were doing in their apartments.

In other words, he was an expert peeping tom and he used high tech cameras to capture photos of those people. He was a definitely a pervert.

However, for a man who had such bad habits and had been accused of three counts of attempted rape, he actually had no photographs of students changing their clothes and that would have actually been easier for him to obtain because it was in the same building he worked in. There had also been no evidence that he had spied on them either.

One argument a lawyer had put against him that Iwao simply liked the challenge and photographing school kids were too easy as opposed to having to do so from a place that had more defined boundaries because all his photographs were of people from separate apartment complexes.

There had been no evidence to suggest he had attacked the students. None at all. Not even a scratch on the students themselves. Iwao could have countersued the students' families for defamation of character for their wrongful accusations, but he hadn't.

He accepted his charges associated with voyeuristic behavior and went on to Scepter 4 to learn to try to turn over a new leaf and once he passed some tests, he was allowed to become a teacher. He applied to teach biology in Seneca because of the good pay and also because he hoped that it would look good on his record that he taught at such a prestigious school.

He obviously did not believe that he would be there for a long time because of how quickly Seneca changed teachers.

Maybe the guy really _did_ have good intentions.

But Mikoto was not a very trusting man. He had wondered why he had bothered to take on this matter at all, especially with the Blue Clan already dealing with it, but memories came back to him of the fact that the Natsume family were all members of the Red Clan. The security and several teachers were also Red Clan. Mikoto treated all of them as family and therefore when outsiders came in to supposedly help on the matter, Mikoto did not like it especially since it came from the Blue Clan who usually had some kind of hidden agenda.

Another reason was because Anna could be in danger.

_The little girl who had so much suffering inside of her for one so small was the child who was always at his side. Loss of parents, tortured with pain because of her power and forced to try her best to hold that power inside of her so that it did not harm those around her all added to the burden of her pain. _

_It was a pain like his own for he had to fight that beast inside of him to constantly keep its claws from attacking those on the outside. Her presence was soothing and she understood him, just he understood her. She was never demanding or selfish but simply quiet and soothing. A light touch of her hand and the mere clinging of her to his clothing made him feel vulnerable because she was so fragile-like._

_Some days he would wake up from a nightmare where he was nothing but a monster who should die. But upon awakening, he would see her next to him, breathing._

_It reminded him that he was very much alive as she was. _

_Then, she had been threatened again for her power and he had had to send her away. Although he missed her, he accepted that she was gone. _

_He found her in the midst of the danger he had sent her from. He had become enraged. _

_She had been lying looking close to death in the hospital and he had felt so helpless. _

_Then she came back home one day and she was in his arms. This child who was growing so quickly who he considered to be like a cub, his security blanket, his link to the world who tamed that beast inside of him. _

_She was **his** Anna and she was important. _

Mikoto could not recall everything, just vague events. Some had more clarity than others but he knew Anna meant a lot to him and he wouldn't hesitate to burn something to ash for her.

Including Iwao Orochi, if he proved to be a threat to Anna.

Sighing, Mikoto headed back to class.

* * *

"I'm going now," Anna informed her brother as she picked up her things.

Mikoto's head was on his arms, resting on the table. He grunted and shrugged. Anna turned and walked away. She did not have to worry about him. After all, he _had_ been through Middle School already.

"So, you're Anna's brother, are you?" came a light hearted male voice. Mikoto turned his head and saw a familiar smile.

_'Your power isn't for destruction' a light haired, handsome faced man informed him with a smile. Beside him, a little girl looked on at their interaction._

"Tatara?" he murmured and blinked. No, this wasn't that familiar man. He was too young...and this person...Mikoto was getting a strange feeling from him. It was not a nice feeling.

The person paused and chuckled nervously. "Ah, I'm sorry. I should introduce myself. I'm Kei Junichi. It's nice to meet you,"

Mikoto gave him a good glare. "Do you know Anna?"

"Everyone knows her. She's very pretty, isn't she?"

As a younger person who was closer to her age now, he could appreciate the fact that Anna definitely was quite beautiful. She had a slim figure and lovely curves. She looked older than her age, but not that much older. Her hair was well past her waist and almost a bright white color. Her eyes were framed by long lashes and she simply looked like a well crafted doll.

Mikoto did not like this young man at all. He looked too much like someone his heart recognized as a familiar friend and there was something about him that he couldn't quite put his finger on that made him distrustful. He also did not like that he had _boldly_ admitted to him that he found Anna to be beautiful.

Irked, he grabbed Kei by the collar and everyone in the classroom became frightened at the scene. He pulled him forward until their noses were almost touching. Kei felt as though he was staring at the face of someone who was infinitely powerful.

Like a monster.

"Stay away from Anna," he warned, his voice soft and deadly.

Kei felt his heart shudder in fear of the person before him. This man had the expression of a fierce, protective lion. His eyes were golden as Anna had described them be but the look in them showed that he wouldn't hesitate to murder him. Without a doubt, Anna had not exaggerated at all.

Abruptly, his friend's 'brother' let him go.

Then, he stood up, grabbed his bag and walked out of the room with his hands shoved in his pockets as if nothing had happened at all.

Kei stared after Mikoto.

It took a few moments for his erratically beating heart to return to normal. Then, he merely smiled again to show everyone else that he was perfectly alright.

"My, my, what a bad tempered guy," he murmured. Whoever, or whatever that guy was, Kei was as intrigued by him as he was scared.

* * *

Around lunch time, Anna, Akemi and Kei had a meeting in their club room. Akemi had a scowl on her face because apparently, Kei had made a list of things he wanted her to do while he held her manga hostage.

"Anna, your brother is scary!" Kei exclaimed when he saw her.

Anna turned to Kei. "You talked to him?"

"You spoke to Anna's brother?" Akemi demanded, shocked.

"You wouldn't want to meet him! That guy's like a horrible!" Kei unthinkingly warned her.

Suddenly, Kei felt someone's fist slam into his face. He fell to the ground and half expected it to be Akemi standing over him, but it was Anna.

Her face was carefully blank, but her cheeks were somewhat red with anger.

"Don't say that about him. You don't know him,"

"But-"

Anna shook her head at him. "I told you to avoid him. Why didn't you listen? Now he's told you to avoid me. That's troublesome,"

Anna turned away and grabbed her things. She was allowed to have lunch in the boys' school so she would search out Mikoto.

Akemi stared after Anna before she turned to Kei. She stooped near to him and touched his bruised cheek.

"Anna really has a good hook," Kei muttered.

"She _does_ train in martial arts. And why must you be like this, Kei? You stuck your nose where it clearly didn't belong! You should have listened to her! And you shouldn't have insulted her family!"

Kei scowled. "I'm her friend aren't I?"

"You idiot! Don't you realize that Anna wanted you to not talk to him so that it would be easier for her to interact with you? So that she could sustain her friendship with you because she knew her brother wouldn't want her hanging around you?"

"But-"

"And don't forget, you resemble their dead sibling," Akemi reminded him softly.

A regretful look came over Kei's face.

* * *

When Anna entered the Boys' lunchroom, she asked fellow male students if they saw the new boy and they informed her that he had gone to the nurse's office. She hurried there and found him sleeping on one of the beds.

She sighed. It was so typical that he would do that. So, she wandered over to him and sat on the chair beside the bed.

Mikoto was facing her side and slowly he opened his eyes. His red hair was falling over his forehead and it was a strange sight to see so much of it on the front of his head since most of it tended to be shoved to the back. Although Anna wasn't used to this Mikoto, he was still Mikoto. She accepted the situation as it was.

"There's a guy who looks like Tatara. I think you know who I'm talking about. Is he your friend?" Mikoto asked softly.

Instantly, Anna shook her head.

Mikoto gave her an assessing look. She blinked innocently at him.

"Do you know him?"

She hesitated, but nodded. Mikoto's mouth thinned into a straight line. He sat up and observed her.

_Many mornings he cuddled this little body against his. The feel of her soothed that desire to destroy and hurt. Because somehow her presence eased the rioting waves of his powers and calmed it down, taming the monster. She belonged to him because as long as she was at his side, he was alright. He was fine. _

"But he isn't your friend?" Mikoto repeated.

She lowered her eyes and shook her head.

She gasped when Mikoto suddenly caught hold of one wrist and tugged her so that she fell against his warm chest. She tried to lean up but before she could properly recover, his hand was holding the side of her face, forcing her eyes to meet his. She tried desperately to look away.

"Look at me, Anna," he ordered.

She did and saw that his eyes had a red glow. "If he isn't your friend, then why the devil does he think we're brother and sister when no one else is supposed to know?" he demanded in a soft, deadly voice.

* * *

_**A/N: I had fun with this chapter. Hope you had fun reading it. Let me know what you thought. Kei probably has to hide his face from Mikoto from now on but there's definitely more interaction with those two to come so don't feel disappointed that there wasn't a lot in this chapter!**_

_**And Mikoto seems to be getting angry again. **_

_**This chapter was a type of introductory to the different situations everyone has found themselves in at the school.**_

_**Thank you also to all of you who reviewed the last chapter:**_

_**xNightDreamerx: Hope this chapter ends your torture! Kei may have dug an even deeper grave for himself *smh* I actually don't have a beta reader but I do have someone who PMs me the errors, normally after the chapter is posted up. I also reread the chapters at different points in time to spot them. It's not perfect but I prefer it this way. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter too, and that you look forward to the next one. God bless :)**_

_**ladeste: I wonder how this Mikoto will react to Lion-O? :p**_

_**fearfulfears: So glad you liked the last chapter! Hope you liked this one too!**_

_**blueyes775: I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! **_

_**mikotos: How was your exams? Glad you enjoyed the chapters!**_

_**annashina: That's alright! Hope you liked this chapter :)**_

_**Bree Renee: Hey I'm glad you really liked this chapter:) Well Anna is trying to keep Kei away but Kei isn't. So, he if he gets beaten, it's 'cause he went looking for trouble :p**_

_**Indochine: Well, if he does try to make a move on Anna, he will get a good beating for that! I think this chapter should answer most of your questions! Hope you enjoyed it!**_

_**Hodgeheg: I'm glad you like this story!**_

_**FireRaven99: I'm so glad to know you like the OCs that much! That means a lot to me!**_

_**Shiary: I hope it's interesting for you. I'm definitely looking forward to writing some parts with Izumo/Seri/Reisi...**_

_**Ambivalencia: Nope, you didn't miss out any important sentences and this chapter should have explained it for you :)**_

_**Arius the Heretic: Hope you enjoyed this chapter too :)**_

_**Ihadyprilla: How was your birthday? Hope it was awesome! I'm really glad that you like Kei so much, and yes I do admit that it is weird that Anna still sleeps beside Mikoto. There was a part to the end of the last chapter where Izumo was thinking about it, but it will be addressed again sometime later on in the story ;)**_

_**Titania: Wait...you're twelve? I really didn't expect that! Anyway, glad you liked the chapter! Hope you enjoyed this one too!**_

_**Mienchan-ish: Your review made me smile ^_^ There's definitely going to be some Reisi/Seri AND Izumo interaction. Sounds like trouble for Seri if you ask me o.O**_

_**Nobody Special: Well, I missed a word in the last chapter and I mentioned that error at the start of the story so Anna doesn't have a huge chest area. Maybe Kei is an inconspicuous pervert who watches when no one else does ;p You got all the points down and I hope this chapter explains more to you :)**_

_**XxX: Glad you liked the story and I hope this chapter clarifies things for you :)**_

_**Guest: There will be some interaction between those two but I can't promise that there would be a lot because I haven't really put much thought into it yet :)**_

_**IzzatiNoKitsune: Mikoto is going to have more interaction with Kei, once he gets Anna to talk. I'm so sorry for the typo from the last chapter! Anna's breasts aren't that huge, but they are a bit big for a person her age so she actually looks a little older. That's why she looks like fourteen or fifteen instead of thirteen. Sorry about that :/ Hope you enjoyed this chapter and that it explains things better for you :)**_

_**creativeactivesrs: I hope the rest of chapters keep you excited! **_

_**nannerlovessnickers: I would have run away too!**_

_**uponmyfigtree: It's good to hear from you! I Loled at your review, thanks for your lovely words! Don't worry, I will keep updating and bring up all sorts of emotions in you :) **_

_**DesiKimchi: Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**_

_**Biabara: I haven't really planned yet about how Anna and Fushimi will meet or if they would have a big interaction but I don't think they would be very coldly polite to each other :)**_

_**D: I hope you really enjoyed this chapter too! Well, that's if I ever see that guy again. He was actually a friend of an older cousin's but because we knew him for so long, I thought I could trust him. Well, that's over and done with! Without a job, I can write this story! ^_^**_

_**Mizuouji: I do see your name on the scans for Memory of Red. Thanks for all your hard work! Without you guys, I would probably be looking at untranslated scans of the manga (if I even found the scans) and I would probably be weeping and trying to figure out what everyone is saying! I'm also really looking forward to reading the next chapter. I saw some pictures and it looks like skinny Kamamoto is a kind of ladies' man. I wish I had my own Kamamoto. Skinny or chunky, he's such a sweetheart :) Thanks for your kind words, they mean a lot to me. Hope you really enjoyed this chapter too :) **_

_**XxXxSayuri-chanxXxX: Hi! You are back! Awesome! Hope you enjoyed this chapter too!**_

_**Thank you all so much, your words meant a lot to me and they keep me motivated to keep writing this story, and when you all tell me how excited you are about the next chapter, I get all excited too.   
**_

_**Also, a big thank you to all those who follow and favorite this story :)**_

_**What did you think of this chapter?**_

_**God bless :)**_


	32. Tenderness

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 32: Tenderness

_Play dumb._

_Act innocent._

Those were the two instructions she gave to herself as she gazed into Mikoto's glowing red eyes. One of his hands still gripped her wrist tightly, while the other cupped the side of her face, forcing her to look at him. One of her hands was pressed against his chest as she tried to lean off from him, and although he was not the mass of muscle his twenty six year old self was, there was still strength there.

She blinked as innocently as she could. "What do you mean no one should know? Didn't Natsume say that we were to pretend to be brother and sister here?"

"But we didn't tell anyone, did we?" he pointed out. After all, it had not been announced to the class when he had entered and neither had acted as though they even knew each other in front of any of the other students.

Retaining a neutral face, Anna replied, "But you mentioned it to Munakata this morning. Maybe he overheard,"

That could be true, after all Kei had been waving like an idiot to her but she had run off with Mikoto before he could approach her.

Mikoto gave her a long, hard look that clearly showed that he was very suspicious of her.

"_Did you meet some strange guy? Anna, would you lie to me, because if you ever do-"_

His own words echoed in his head. It seemed that he had not been able to finish his threat. Either way, he sensed that he trusted her.

Yet, he had a feeling that she was actually lying to him. He had no tangible evidence to back up that claim so there was no way he could accuse her...yet.

"If you ever lie to me, Anna, I will make you sorry," he warned her.

Anna's eyes widened a little. Instead of looking frightened, however, Anna nodded.

Mikoto frowned. "Aren't you afraid?"

"How can I be? Mikoto is very gentle," the girl replied with a straight face and a reasonable tone of voice.

Mikoto froze at her words.

Gentle.

She described him as _gentle_.

Him, a ferocious roaring lion, a bloody monstrousity who grappled with the power inside of him on a daily basis was _gentle_.

What. The. _F-_?

"You," he growled at her. "Are you trying to get me angry?"

Anna shook her head. Mikoto muttered a curse and let her go. "You know how to get out of trouble too well, brat,"

Anna didn't say anything; she simply looked at him as she sat primly at his side on the bed. Her hands were neatly folded on her lap, and even her legs were crossed at her ankles.

She was freaking prim and proper princess who was very important to him. Somehow he wondered what in the world was going on his future self's head. Had some sort of epiphany had come upon him to care for this kid so much?

He could sense in himself how much he clung to this child, and how much she clung to him. He even had recollections and hugging her tightly when _he_ had a nightmare.

Mikoto paused suddenly and gave her a lopsided frown. "Hey,"

"Yes?"

"Was I a lolicon?"

Anna tilted her head to the side. "A lolicon?"

"A guy who likes to fool around with little girls," Mikoto answered. Anna blinked at him, still confused.

She recalled that Yata had mentioned that word a couple of times around her and it was only recently that she realized that it referred to something that had to do with sex or inappropriate touching. Therefore, Mikoto meant that 'fooling around' had to do with 'inappropriate touching' that involved 'sexual touches'.

She straightened her head and blinked at him. "We hugged a lot and slept in the same bed. We cuddled. Nothing else,"

Mikoto sighed but retained that sour expression. It seemed as though he had been born with a mean expression on his face that had only mellowed out somewhat over time.

"What was a little girl like you doing sleeping beside a grown man like me? I get that you mean a lot to me, but why did I let it go on?" he demanded.

Anna's eyes lowered. "Because at your side, it was...always warm. And safe. Even I know that maybe I should have just started staying in my own bed, even if you never sent me back but I...was always safe beside you. There's no other warm place,"

"_Aren't you cold?" he asked the girl who lay down beside him with her head on his arm on the fallen school tower. _

"_It's warm next to you...it's the only warm place," she replied softly before closing her eyes. _

Mikoto glanced her way with a slow, assessing look. She was a mature brat. She had never once pointed out that he should have a larger blame for their sleeping habits because he was the adult and would have known better. Children didn't usually take blame on themselves and when she spoke, she sounded so innocent, yet so mature.

There was such a contrast in this person that it almost baffled him. Without a doubt, she was unique. Mikoto was quite sure that there was no other person out there like Anna at all.

He tsked. "I'm hungry," he muttered.

"I brought onigiri," Anna informed him and reached for the lunch box she had taken with her. Before she had sat down near Mikoto, she had lain it on the bedside table.

Normally when she made onigiri, she made a lot of extras because Akemi and Kei liked how she made them. Anna enjoyed sharing her meals. It gave her a warm feeling to be able to eat with others around her, especially when others partook in them.

She opened the box and revealed several. She lifted the box and offered him. There were at least six because Anna rarely ever ate more than two.

Meanwhile, Mikoto picked up one and munched on it.

Anna did the same. While he ate at a fairly fast pace, Anna ate slowly, to the point of where he had finished three by the time she finished one and from there, she proceeded to move the box to his lap.

He frowned at her. "Don't you want anymore?"

She shook her head.

A memory came back to him then:

"_Mikoto, I don't want anymore," Anna was telling him as she unsuccessful tried to hold his arm back from emptying some of his curry onto her plate that had had a meager portion. She had served herself and had taken so little, much to his annoyance._

_Izumo was sitting at the table with them and had also commented on the small amount of food she was eating._

_Mikoto gave her a good glare, but it seemed that that was not enough intimidate her. _

_So, he calmly lay down his plate, but kept his fork in his left hand. Then, using his free hand, he reached across and grabbed her by the back of her dress and lifted her off the chair, making her gasp out._

_Then, he dropped her onto his lap where she fell with a soft rustle of her clothing, and his arm secured her to him by wrapping around her waist and keeping her close to that hard wall of a torso he had. _

_She tilted her fair head upward so that her soft, silky hair brushed his chin and neck with her movement. There was a confused look on her face. "Mikoto?"_

_In response, a fork was suddenly pressing to her mouth. She turned her attention to it and saw that there was a piece of dripping, red, tomato chicken curry at her lips. Mikoto insistently pressed it at her mouth, forcing her to finally take it between her lips. _

"_If you act like such a child, I will treat you as you one," Mikoto stated with annoyance clearly in his voice._

_Anna stiffened at his words. She glanced at Izumo who was eating his food and pretending like he wasn't seeing their interaction._

_Upon realizing that she was gazing at him, he shrugged. "You're anemic and you need to eat. Mikoto is trying to get you to take responsibility for yourself,"_

_It seemed that she didn't like his suggestion that she 'was not responsible for herself' and began to squirm against Mikoto while trying to push his arm away from her. _

_His hold on her momentarily tightened, forcing her to stop. "Will you eat?" he asked as his warm tobacco breath touched her ear. She nodded in response and was quickly set aside to her original chair where she reluctantly ate her food. He gave her a quick nuzzle at his favorite spot which eased away some of her own irritation at his forcefulness of her eating. _

Sometimes force didn't work with Anna to get her to eat. Some form of coaxing had to take place, including bribery.

Currently, Mikoto hated the way she had only eaten one onigiri. He couldn't think of any way to force her to eat, nor did he think he had anything to bribe her with...or did he?

"Anna, eat another one," he ordered.

"I don't want anymore," Anna replied. She had hoped that this Mikoto wouldn't bother her to eat as much either.

Mikoto gave her a long, lazy look. Then he smirked as an idea came to his head. "I was wondering if to mention that guy with the stupid look on his face to Izumo," Anna visibly froze. "I guess that you mightn't think that eating one more onigiri is a good reason enough for me to remain quiet."

Anna watched him cautiously. He was blackmailing her to eat. She did not want Izumo to find out about Kei. He would probably find ways to terrorize the boy during classes.

So, she slowly reached out and took one of the remaining onigiri. "I won't be able to eat anymore after this," she warned him.

He shrugged and took the last one for himself before setting aside the lunchbox on the bedside table.

He watched her slowly eat hers while he had his own. He finished it and waited for her to consume the very last bite. Then, he calmly climbed out of the bed.

Anna sensed he was up to something. There was something about the way he moved that reminded her of a lion that _knew_ that its prey was within good sight and could easily grab it and move in for the kill.

He caught hold of her shoulder while standing and commented in a very off-hand manner, "You're really protective of this guy, huh?"

Anna stiffened. She tried to shake her head but his hold on her shoulder only tightened while his eyes narrowed into an angry golden glare, "If this guy had been a normal person who you were simply acquainted with, you wouldn't have tried to keep Izumo from finding out about him because it wouldn't have mattered since you would have been telling the truth. You either know him personally, or you've got a crush on him. So what is it, Anna?"

Anna felt a lump forming in her throat and her eyes wavered under Mikoto's angry gaze. She almost cringed against the chair.

"Mikoto...he..."

"Do you see him as some kind of substitute for Tatara?"

She shook her head quickly. "He isn't...isn't like Tatara,"

Mikoto released her shoulder which throbbed from the pressure he had placed on it and he turned to her fully. He placed his hands on the armrests of the chair, trapping her there as he bent over her so that his golden eyes and fierce expression could leer at her more closely.

She was surrounded by the heat of his body which grew, indicating his anger although he hadn't even touched her.

And there was _no_ escaping him.

"I see. So you do know him well," Mikoto said slowly.

Anna didn't say anything and refused to meet his eyes. He took her face in the palm of his hand and forced her to look at him and to meet the eyes of this vexed lion.

"Answer me," he ordered through gritted teeth.

"He's...my friend," she finally admitted. Mikoto immediately released her face, but his hands were holding both armrests again and his eyes were glowing red.

"Tell me more," he commanded.

Anna didn't like this anger in him. "Mikoto,"

"Tell me," he hissed.

She began to shake as she felt a pressure around her, almost suffocating her. It was Mikoto's power, the huge enormity of it that was making her feel this way as he projected his domineering presence at her.

"He's my friend...he was the only person who spoke to me in school because everyone else didn't know how to approach me. I don't see him that way and he already has a girlfriend,"

Mikoto watched how Anna's skin paled and how shook before him.

_She was on the ground, pale and weak. Not even a shoe was on her foot. He was angry._

Mikoto recalled that image from the night they went after the Rise and immediately he drew back. He contained his power again and could almost feel his older self kicking his ass for being so oppressive toward Anna to force her to talk. She was currently frightened and vulnerable to him and it was not a pleasing sight to him at all.

Sighing he said, "I want you to stay away from that guy, Anna,"

"Why? Because he looks like Tatara?" Anna questioned.

He shook his head at her. "No. I just don't like him,"

Something in Mikoto's instincts gave him a strong dislike of the young man who had done nothing to him and he had been honest in stating that it had nothing to do with how he looked like Tatara. He held out his hand to her. Tentatively, she took it and he pulled her to her feet before letting her go.

"We have PE together today, don't we? You better get your things and change and then come back," Mikoto suggested.

* * *

Kei hadn't meant to be so nosy and he hadn't meant to ignore Anna's request of him. But he had been pretty curious about her brother. Earlier that morning, he had seen her speaking with him and the new sensei but he hadn't guessed that the rough, red haired fellow was her brother.

He had looked away for a moment when he had been running toward her, when a girl called out to him and when he looked again, both Anna and the new student had disappeared. Later when Anna described his appearance, Kei hadn't thought that she had been referring to the guy she had been with earlier. It was too unlikely for they were so different.

Was Anna really related to someone like that? Someone who seemed to contain a vicious beast while she seemed to be nothing but a quiet princess?

No, Kei thought, they couldn't be related. They had different surnames. Anna's was _Kushina_, while the other guy was _Suoh_. Something was strange here, he thought as he rounded the building of the girls' school, but he wouldn't put it past that one of them might have been adopted.

To his surprise, he saw Anna coming in his direction. To his confusion, she walked straight past him without looking at him.

Kei stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry," he apologized.

He turned around and saw that Anna had stopped too.

"I was just curious as your friend. I didn't think that it was that serious,"

"I don't joke often, Kei and you should have listened to me," Anna responded. She turned around and looked at him with her usual expressionless face.

Kei nodded. "You're right," He laughed uncomfortably. "I guess I am an idiot,"

Anna was silent.

That meant she agreed.

Kei lost the grin he had on his face and pouted instead. "Well, you don't have to think it's true,"

Kei hoped that she wouldn't stop talking to him. More than almost anyone ever, Anna's friendship meant the world to him. She wasn't like other girls and she wasn't stupid. She was too mature for her own good and always knew what to say at the right time.

Anna remained quiet for a long moment. Then she assured him, "I'm not mad at you anymore,"

He was surprised at her words. "You're not?"

She shook her head in reply. Kei smiled in relief.

"But you have to give Akemi back her manga,"

Kei's face fell. "But why? I already made her my back scratcher and foot scrubber! Don't you know what a privilege it is?!"

"Our agreement was that I would give you the manga in return for you staying away from Mikoto. You made it void when you broke that agreement and spoke to him so you have to give it back,"

"It's stolen property anyway! That doesn't count!"

In reply, Anna calmly lifted a tankobon volume. It was Akemi's precious manga. "How did you-"

"It fell out of your pocket when I hit you earlier. I'm returning it,"

"You can't! Anna you can't!" he sobbed.

"You have to get ready for PE with the girls," she reminded him.

Scowling, he walked away to the direction of his school. Who cared about girls at this time? It wasn't everyday he managed to make Akemi his servant!

He hadn't even managed to finagle an excuse for this class because his recent health reports done on him at the school proved that he was well enough to participate in PE.

"Kei," Anna called after him.

He looked at him from over his shoulder.

"Keep away from Mikoto,"

_For your own good._ Those were the words silently conveyed to him.

* * *

Kei bypassed the red haired guy who was leaning against the wall of the building around the corner which he had walked after talking to Anna. A few _feet_ away, he stopped. He figured that he could tweak her words a little, after all she could have meant physical distance, and he was technically a few feet _away_, right?

"You know, her tone of voice doesn't change at all unless she says your name," Kei commented. Kei could tell that the scary guy meant a whole damned lot to his friend.

"I told you to stay away from her,"

"She doesn't seem to want to,"

"She will listen to me. Leave her alone,"

Kei spun around and bitterly he demanded, "Is it because I look like your dead brother? I'm not him!"

Mikoto Suoh gave him a dangerous look as he glanced at him. "You don't come close to touching who Tatara was. You have insincerity about you even though you're sincere. I can't trust a person like that and I won't trust a person like that around Anna,"

Kei was stunned. "What do you mean by that?"

Mikoto leaned off the wall and walked toward him. Kei automatically stepped back for fear of the fierce looking person before him; the young man who looked like a beast who could devour and consume him in a matter of seconds.

"You're a man who's stuck. You can't move forward and you're unable to move back so you mask that part of you with a personality that you created to charm others into liking you. You don't know who you are," Mikoto responded. Then he continued. "Anna probably senses it but she mistakes it as a person who's had a difficult life and she probably thinks she can relate you in some way even if she knows nothing about your past. I won't trust someone like you around her, so stay away."

_Or I will kill you._ Those were Suoh's unspoken words to him.

Then, Mikoto Suoh walked off, leaving a stunned Kei behind.

He felt negative emotions rising up in him. Misery, pain and confusion. Those were things he fought hard against inside of him.

What aroused those emotions wasn't simply Suoh's words; it was the truth in them.

* * *

Two guys stood admiring the scene before them as they stood on the outskirts of the basketball court.

"Hey, Kushina-san looks pretty in her PE uniform, doesn't she?" one boy commented.

His friend beside him agreed. "She's definitely more gorgeous that all the girls here,"

The standard PE uniform was black shorts and a white t-shirt. It looked especially cute on Anna because she had legs that were longer than most girls and her chest size was well proportioned, emphasizing the tiny pinch of her waist.

Anna Kushina was with a girl who needed some information about the ballet club. Anna didn't talk much but made some gestures if she felt that work better.

An arm came around each of the guys and locked around their necks in a firm but not frightening grip.

"She's real pretty huh?" a rough voice repeated to the two guys.

"Sure is,"

"_Hot_," another admitted and blew a soft whistle.

"What nice words you have about my sister,"

The two guys stiffened and looked at the person's whose grasp they were in. It was the scary red haired guy. They swallowed hard.

"_S-Sister_?" they chimed.

Mikoto gave a slow, easy grin.

"Mikoto, what are you doing?" came the voice of Anna Kushina. She had come to stand in front of them.

The three males turned to her-two of which had fear in their eyes, then they turned to back at Mikoto. He returned their looks.

Suddenly, he slammed their heads together and threw them aside so that they landed on top of each other. The room was crowded and people automatically moved back to allow room for the two bodies. They were stunned at the sight. The coaches were too busy sorting out some equipment to really notice and everyone else was too afraid to say anything.

Anna's expression didn't change but her eyes did have an exasperated look in them. "They were trying to end their friendship, so I had them kiss and make up," he explained with a shrug.

Someone blew a whistle suddenly. It was the coach of the middle school who was a guy of medium height with graying dark hair.

He had a basketball in his hand. "Alright, I need someone tall. Ah, new kid, you'll do just perfect," Mikoto _did_ tend to stand taller than everyone.

He motioned for Mikoto to come forward. Reluctantly, Mikoto did so.

"Ever played basketball, young man?"

Mikoto shook his head.

"Okay, this is how you dribble," He quickly bounced the ball and then threw it at Mikoto who caught it easily.

"Now you dribble and throw it back at me,"

Mikoto dribbled the ball easily. Anna observed him. Earlier she had felt the strength of his body but now she could actually see that his body itself was still very lithe despite its more youthful reversion. His muscles were not as large as his older self's, but there was obvious firmness in them. Anna could see that the girls in the room also noticed this, but they had become afraid of Mikoto because of what he had just done to the two guys and could only see that strength as being potentially harmful to them.

Abruptly, Mikoto threw the ball back at the coach.

However, there was so much strength in his throw that it slammed into the poor man and sent him flying into the opposite wall. Everyone in the room gasped while Mikoto simply looked on with a bored expression.

The coach struggled to sit up as his assistant hurried over and tried to help him up. The guy sat up and shook his head, trying to get the stars out of his vision. Then he looked at Mikoto.

"I said throw the ball!"

"I did," Mikoto retorted as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Detention!"

* * *

"Why are you here?" Mikoto demanded of the sensei who would be staying with him.

Iwao merely smiled handomely. "You're that boy from earlier. Suoh-kun, is it?"

Mikoto nodded and took a seat in front of the sensei. Well, at least there was some kind of positive outcome from getting detention-he could get some interaction with the potential pervert who was currently in charge of the room. He didn't stop to think that that actually would have been bad if he had been anyone else.

"I understand that you attacked the coach with a ball?"

Mikoto shrugged. "He told me to throw it. So I did,"

Iwao chuckled. "Sometimes when you do too good of a job, it can bruise the egos of those who are in higher authority,"

"You have experience with that?"

Iwao smiled almost bitterly. "Sometimes people don't like when you do good things because it makes them feel inferior. So they do things to get back at you to remove you from their sides,"

Before Mikoto could question more, Iwao's smile returned to its normal handsome grin. "So how do you like school?"

"It's alright,"

"And classes,"

"Alright,"

"Teachers?"

"Alright,"

Iwao laughed quietly. "Really, you don't like speaking do you?"

Mikoto's silence was answer enough.

* * *

Anna had had aikido that afternoon, so she returned home later than Mikoto. She had wanted to see Izumo who was staying over at Aoi's but there had simply been no time. She decided that she would have breakfast at Aoi's tomorrow and hopefully Izumo would be there too.

When she opened the door, she saw Mikoto lying on the couch and he seemed be asleep. However, there was sweat dripping from his forehead and a troubled expression on his face.

Haru, Natsume and Ryosuke were around him, looking uncertain about what to do.

"We should probably wake him," Ryosuke stated and reached down to touch Mikoto. However, Anna said sharply, "Don't touch him!"

Surprised, the three family members turned to her.

"Anna?" Ryosuke said her name in surprise.

"If you wake him suddenly, his power could overflow and damage you," Anna explained.

"But we should probably still wake him. There seems to be a lot of turmoil in his mind," Natsume pointed out.

"I'll take care him," Anna assured them.

They looked at each other, but there was doubtfulness among them; Anna had lived with the king long enough to know how to deal with him.

"We'll leave you to it then," Haru said and ushered his wife and son out the room.

Cautiously, Anna sat beside Mikoto on the couch, ensuring that no part of her body touched him to startle him.

Indeed, Mikoto had a really miserable expression on his face. She hadn't seen him look like this since Tatara died. Perhaps he was dreaming of their dead friend?

Softly, she began to sing the song that he often had her sing whenever he felt frustrated or unable to contain those many swirling emotions that affected his power which he struggled with.

_'I shall sing a song for the sake of the life we have weaved 's nothing we can do about it, you said that as you dryly laughed...'_

_The gun pointed and shot at his friend and Mikoto found himself standing over his dead body. Blood. There was blood everywhere._

_And he didn't stop it._

_He couldn't stop it._

_Tears of pain and only misery tore at him for they were the howls of sadness from his precious clansmen._

_He stood alone now, in the demolished city. He was nothing but a monster with power that destroyed everything he loved._

_Alone, alone he should be...however;_

_'This fist is not that small, my strides are by no means short...' _Mikoto turned around and saw a familiar white haired girl singing softly to him. She walked to him and took his hands in hers. _'...if there is a world at the end of the path you tread, I will keep up with you, even to purgatory...'_

She stopped singing and looked up at him. "You have to wake up, Mikoto,"

Slowly, his eyes opened and he found himself gazing up at Anna's pretty face. She was sitting at his side and her little hands were in his. A slew of memories came to him. He had recalled many things about himself and Anna but there was one element he hadn't remembered quite well.

Tenderness.

_He kissed her cheek and reluctantly ushered her off his chest to get ready to go to the mall with Izumo and Kamamoto. The smallness of her in his arms somehow caused a sense of tranquility in him and made him feel at ease. _

_He nuzzled at her temple, enjoying the softness and the scent of freshwater at her temple. It gentled his rioting senses. _

_He cuddled her little body close to his to ensure that she was warm enough. She sedated his uncontrollable power. _

_A light stroke of her hair or her hand in his...all these things created a special kind of warmth in him that melted away all that frustration and misery. It soothed him, calmed him and made him feel so human. _

He had known of that tenderness when he had started to regain his memories of Anna, but as a person who hadn't grown up with affection in his fourteen year old state, he couldn't understand it well enough and just accepted that it had been there but by no means he could show that affection as his older self did. He therefore never really felt it because he did not understand it.

Now he could.

For he could see it, feel it and hear the tenderness she herself had for him in her voice and by the simple touch of her hand and he could acknowledge for himself that he held deep warmth for this bare teenager. She meant more to him that almost anymore else and he fought hard to protect her fragile existence.

He lifted a fisted hand and pressed his knuckles against one of her soft cheeks. He lightly tapped it there before slowly sliding to her lips.

Earlier, Mikoto's eyes were almost dead and lifeless, like a puppet just operating on certain strings based on the memories he had. Now, his eyes had more life in them and the warmth that she had come to know so well. Anna covered his fisted hand with hers. She had missed that look in his eyes. Well, she hadn't seen it in two days but that was because she had had to do without her Mikoto for nearly two days.

Now he was hers and he had that part of him that had developed more rapidly with in the last year and a couple of months. It was that part of him that gave her unselfish affection that allowed her the freedom to return it. Fourteen years old with downward growing red hair, or twenty six with it growing in the opposite direction, Mikoto was still hers and _properly_ hers with that affectionate lion part of himself there.

She pressed her lips against his knuckles and he opened his hand and moved it to cup her cheek. "Thank you," he murmured.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. Stupid University.**

**Anyway, more Anna, Mikoto, Kei stuff to come. For anyone wondering about what Kei's situation really is, I am telling you now that you are NOT going to find out soon. Sorry :/ But you will understand why later on. However, he does genuinely like Anna as a friend. **

**For those wondering about Anna and Fushimi interaction, I think I'd like to include it in, but I'm not sure about how much interaction they would have, or when they would (if they have any).**

**Anyway, what did you think of this chapter? Hope you like it. Not sure when the next one will be out but I'm looking forward to writing it. **

**Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favorites, I really appreciated it and I love you all. **

**For the people who reviewed:**

**ravyncl: Yes, Mikoto's appearance is like how the anime and manga described. Hope you liked this chapter too, and I'm so glad you liked the previous one :) And good luck with school :)**

**nannerlovessnickers: Hope you liked this chapter and it's ending too :)**

**Bree Renee: I'm glad the chapter brightened your day and I hope that this one did too :)**

**kuronekousako: Thanks for your kind words and I really hope you continue to enjoy this story along with the parts with younger Mikoto :)**

**fearfulfears: Akemi hasn't formerly met Mikoto but she will in good time. Kei did speak to Mikoto though...and he does not like him o.O**

**xNightDreamerx: I really wanted to have stuff on the others: Seri, Munakata, Fushimi and Yata but it really isn't possible today, however, in the future, definitely with Emi too ;) I liked Bio, it was cool...hated chemistry though! Teacher was a snore!**

**LindyLinn: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! And definitely there's more interaction with Kei and Mikoto to come!**

**iCooky: That's alright, I understand that you weren't about to review. I'm just happy to hear from you :) I thought I hated Fushimi too, but I learned some information about Yata and Fushimi where I think that Fushimi (not sure if this is a spoiler for you) had joined Homra only because of Yata and then Yata showed more favor to Mikoto. I mentioned the stuff with Anna and Fushimi interaction in the A/N. I really want them to interact too though, and I will try to figure something. Thanks for your kind words about the story, I really really appreciate it. Yes, I did see the picture with Anna and Kamomoto. Anna does look so adorable, and I think her dress design is a bit different too, right?**

**Mizuouji: Yes, Anna has been busted! That's alright if you're not good with reviews. It's more important to me that you keep enjoying the story :)**

**Nobody Special: Hello my special reviewer! I have grand plans for Izumo, Munakata and Seri ;) Well, if Anna had to find Mikoto she would have needed to get a private area so that no one would find her suspicious and she left the clubroom angry at Kei so...she had to ask :)**

**maykil113: Older Mikoto is definitely awesome :)**

**Indochine: I've come across perverted teachers, both at secondary and tertiary levels. I didn't come across any at my primary level in terms of teachers violating students, but there were teachers cheating on their spouses with other teachers...ew. Anyway, Kei is an idiot but I hope you still like him :) Mikoto is getting back to his twenty six year old mentality (he isn't twenty four anymore since he turned twenty five in an earlier chapter and this is a year later since all those incidents with the Rise etc so he's twenty six now :)) Glad you liked the chapter :)**

**Titania: You're eleven! I really hadn't expected that. Okay, I don't mean to sound like an old lady but remember that this story does contain a lot of mature themes although it is stuff that you already know or will probably know soon anyway. So I'm just saying to read it at your own discretion. I am glad to always hear from you and I hope you have fun reading future chapters :)**

**FireRaven99: Sorry I made you suffer so long! Hope you really enjoyed this chapter so much, and yes, Kei is n idiot! Now he's an idiot with a questionable background o.O I'll mention more of Emi in future chapters, as well as Fushimi :)**

**ladeste: I wonder if Mikoto will ever compliment chef? hahaha! Anna managed to find herself in trouble, managed to get herself out, only to be manipulated by Mikoto into admitting the truth :)**

**annashina: Sorry for updating so late! Hope you really liked this chapter too! I'm doing alright, I just have a lot of schoolwork, which I hate! But education is important in this world. **

**Ambivalencia: I hope that this chapter makes up for some of the lack of fluff from the previous chapter! Well, Mikoto did find out. He hasn't killed Kei although he's warning him off...for now ;) Thanks for your kind words, and how were your exams?**

**Shiary: I'm glad you liked the the chapter! Yes, Neko had returned to Shiro's side. I believe it was in chapter 24 at the beginning so you can check it out :)**

**Arius the Heretic: You didn't get into your dream college? I'm so sorry to hear that! Well, the college is just going to have to make do without a totally awesome person such as yourself. I don't really know what to say, except that you're young, beautiful and there's so many prospects in life for you, whether or not you achieved your dream college. Just work hard, pray hard, keep a good goal in mind and all will work out well with you :)Lots more interactions to come!**

**Mienchan-ish: Yes, she's caught between two HOT guys! Hopefully next chapter will contain more stuff on them. I have certain plans for those three...;)**

**TheRoseShadow21: It doesn't look like Kei will ever get along with Mikoto though :/ Hope you really enjoyed this chapter :)**

**HodgeHeg: You're welcome :) I think since he understands his relationship with Anna, he shouldn't have to worry about that :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**

**val615: I laughed at the drooling over young Mikoto. Younger or older, Mikoto is gorgeous!**

**D: Anna got in trouble! Maybe she might get in more trouble again with Mikoto o.O**

**Nevertheless: I made an update today! Yay! I hope you really enjoyed it. **

**_So, let me know your thoughts on this chapter. Thanks for all the reviews._  
**

**_God bless :)_**


	33. Dancing

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 33: Dancing

Wide, black, empty eyes stared him.

Unmoving.

Cold.

Empty.

_Lifeless_.

He clenched his fists tightly, because all he felt like doing was _crushing_ it.

"Mikoto, what's wrong?" Anna's voice cut into his thoughts.

Anna had forgotten to pick up a book from her room so she had come back upstairs, only to find Mikoto standing in her open doorway, glaring at her bed. The said person glanced at her, then nodded to the thing that was amidst her pillows.

"Why is that here?" he asked her.

He was referring to Lion-O who lying quite kingly on a very plump pillow.

Anna blinked at it, then turned to Mikoto. "You don't remember him?"

"He gives me an unpleasant feeling," Mikoto answered grumpily.

Anna tilted her head to the side. "'Unpleasant'?" she repeated.

He ignored her and despite being unbidden, he entered her room. Anna followed after him and watched as he picked up Lion-O. He gazed at the plushie, then brought it closer to his face. He sniffed it.

Then, he glared at her. "It smells like a man,"

"How do you know what a man smells like?" she questioned.

"Because I am one!"

She blinked innocently. "You're fourteen now," she pointed out.

In return, Mikoto caught her cheek and pinched it.

She whimpered and he let her go. He frowned at the quick reddening of her skin and realized that he didn't like that mar on her face. Yet, he enjoyed tugging at her cheek when he felt that she was being subtly cheeky with him (because Anna would never blatantly act that way).

Mikoto suddenly shoved the plushie under his arm.

"What are you doing?" Anna asked.

In reply, Mikoto bent and gave her a quick kiss on the red mark he had caused on her pale skin. When he drew back, he responded as he walked away, "You're still going to talk to that stupid Kei. Since you won't listen to me, I'm taking him,"

"It doesn't matter," Anna told him.

Mikoto stopped and looked at her from over his shoulder.

"I'll throw it in the lake," he threatened.

Anna's mouth thinned, indicating that his words upset her. Mikoto gave a slow, evil smirk. "Keep on your toes, brat, or I'll really do it,"

Before Anna could respond, Natsume called from downstairs, "Anna, Aoi said for you to come have breakfast with them now! And Mikoto, you have detention!"

Yes, Mikoto had detention mornings and evenings for allegedly attacking the coach. Although the coach had demanded immediate expulsion of the new student, Haru had managed to convince him that maybe Mikoto just didn't know his strength and perhaps it could be used in some other sport. Mikoto's punishment was therefore lessened to detention this morning as well, but he would have to attend some sports clubs for them to see where his skills could be targeted.

"Mikoto, you won't throw away Lion-O, would you?" Anna asked. He could actually hear the worry in her voice.

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because he means a lot to the both of us," she answered.

"Bullshit," Mikoto retorted. Why the hell would he care about this _ugly_ little toy anyway?

Although he a part of him had to admit that it was nice and soft.

* * *

"Is that new kid a weirdo or what?" someone asked.

"He's scary,"

"He's creepy,"

"But why the heck does he have a toy with him?"

Those were the murmurs that surrounded Mikoto as he strode through the gates of the Boys' school. Most of the girls who had club activities or were simply hanging around with the boys that morning. These were the ones who were talking about Mikoto.

After all, who expected this short-tempered guy with a mean expression on his face, with rigid muscles and gave off a killer vibe, to be holding a very cute, adorable stuffed _toy_?

"You stupid girls, it's a fashion statement!" one very nerdy boy with thick glasses snapped. Other guys surrounded him, all of different sizes and different looks. They had become intrigued by the character who had tossed the ball so hard at the coach that he had slammed into the opposite wall. This guy was so...different than anyone they had ever met. He had some sort of underlying charisma that attracted the male population to him.

"You're such an idiot!" one girl retorted to the nerd.

"It's no wonder he doesn't have a girlfriend," another agreed.

The nerd looked downcast, but only momentarily. "Who cares about your opinions? That's guy's making a fashion statement! It's the latest accessory for men!"

The girls merely shook their heads and walked away from the group of guys who were agreeing.

Mikoto, meanwhile, ignored everyone and made his way to the detention room.

* * *

"Anna! You look so adorable!" Izumo commented as he hugged her tightly like a parent who doted upon their child.

Anna returned his hug and Aoi led them to the kitchen where he had already prepared some cheese sandwiches.

Izumo proceeded to ask Anna about school, and if she was enjoying it. She answered as she ate.

"Izumo is teaching English, right?" she asked.

He nodded. "Unfortunately, you won't be in any of my classes. I already checked out that role and you won't be with the group of girls who have english with me today,"

"Does Mikoto have class with you?"

"No, he'll be having English in your school since it's their turn to exchange students into your building,"

Anna nodded. English with Mikoto. That sounded interesting. Or did it?

She wondered what was becoming of her Lion-O.

"By the way, Anna, your afternoon classes have been cut a little short so that you could attend a dance session this afternoon. Awashima-san and I will be the dance tutors,"

Anna gave Izumo a long look. It was her way of saying, 'you and Awashima? Are you for real?' Izumo smiled at shrugged.

* * *

"Hey, Suoh-sama," someone whispered behind him as he walked toward the Girls' school for English class.

'Sama'? Mikoto never recalled being called that. Even in his life as a king...well as far as he knew since he didn't remember everything. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. There were two average looking guys, peeking at him from behind the stone post of the gate.

"Are you really Kushina-san's brother?"

Mikoto didn't feel like answering their nosy questions, so he turned away and continued walking.

"Hey wait!" the one who spoke called out and hurried to get closer to him at his side, but kept at least a foot away for they were still uncertain of him.

"Sorry if we're being too nosy. We just wanted to get to know you. Is that alright?"

Mikoto shrugged.

They were quick to pick up that that meant that he did not care and that more than likely, he wouldn't answer their questions.

"We wanted to warn you though," the other boy who had spoken before finally said.

Mikoto glanced at him.

"The Head of the Disciplinary Committee heard that you knocked out those two guys yesterday,"

Mikoto merely grunted. The last Disciplinary guy he had had to deal with was back in High School and from what he picked up from the memories that came back, the guy had been an irritating wuss who Mikoto had punched in the face for just being in his way.

"Whoa! You guys are talking to Mikoto-sama? Hey, can we talk to you too?" another guy asked as he hurried over to the trio. As Mikoto walked through the halls of the school, somehow his presence slowly accumulated all the guys who had to take classes in the Girls' school.

Questions were thrown at him, and all the guys just thought he was plain cool for just ignoring everyone and not showing a single change of expression from that normal sour look he carried. Even with that plushie under his arm.

Suddenly, coming forward was what seemed to be a guy with an extra shine about him. His hair was a very pale blond and he had brown eyes. He had an almost feminine and graceful look about him as he walked. His uniform fit him perfectly and there seemed to be a sparkle around him as he strutted. He was surrounded by other sharp looking guys who seemed to think themselves as unbelievably cool.

The girls around them seemed to swoon as these people passed by them.

Mikoto was about to carry on, minding his business, but the person stopped in front of him. "You're Suoh? I suppose that as a newbie you don't know who I am. I must now take the time to grace you with my beautiful presence,"

Roses seemed to be blooming about him. Girls were screaming, '_Kyaa_! Masa-kun is so cool!" The guys behind him were agreeing while the guys behind Mikoto just looked exasperated.

Mikoto looked away as if he had just seen the most boring thing in the world and was about to continue into the open door of the classroom.

However, the Masa guy snapped, "Hey, don't ignore me! I'm the first son of the great Masaru family! The third richest family in the world!"

"Never heard of you," Mikoto told him with a shrug.

"You uneducated ruffian! Do you know how much power I stand to wield? One day I could control half of Japan!"

"You still have to wipe your own ass," Mikoto responded, clearly unimpressed. He entered into the classroom as everyone around them burst out in laughter while Masa's face contorted in anger.

"I'll get you for that, Suoh! I am Head of the Disciplinary committee! I _will_ make you pay!"

* * *

Anna looked up from her book at all the confusion that was going on outside and saw Mikoto enter the room. No doubt his presence still caused some stir although he probably did nothing to attract it. To her relief, Lion-O was still under his arm.

"Mikoto, you walked through the school with that?"

He took a seat in the empty space beside hers while all the guys who had followed Mikoto filled in the empty seats around her, clearly wanting to be near the guy who they found so intriguing. Many of the guys were actually in martial arts clubs. Anna recognized some of them from when she had done kendo and kickboxing. There were also members of the aikido club too. There were also mixed in some of the nerdy gang, sportsmen and the plain average ones.

Mikoto really did seem to attract every Tom, Dick and Harry out there.

"Hey, why are you all surrounding Kushina-hime?" Masa demanded when he came in.

"She's Mikoto-sama's sister and where he goes, we go!" one person shouted.

Masa was taken aback by those words, as were several girls for they had not known that Anna and Mikoto were related.

"You're lying," Masa stated. He had always wanted to talk to the girl who everyone thought was a princess but she had always ignored him.

"_You may be Head of the Disciplinary committee from the Boys' school but you have no jurisdiction over the girls,"_ Anna had once pointed out to him when he threatened to take action against her at one one point in time, if she didn't talk to him because unlike other girls, she ignored him completely.

In turn, he had tried the Girl's Disciplinary Head. Although he promised her many things, such as flowers and chocolates, even a seat at lunch with him for one day, the girl had shaken her head at his request to help him because she was under the impression that Anna was a princess, and not only that, all the girls were afraid of her because they knew how much she trained in martial arts and many had witnessed when Anna had saved Akemi from being bullied the year before.

"I think it's true. I saw even the guards bow to Suoh-kun and I've heard that the only other person they show any change of expression or movement is to Kushina-hime," one of Masa's friends commented.

Masa made an irritated noise and ordered everyone to take their seats.

Maybe the two were related.

Maybe they were part of some imperial royal family.

Either way, he didn't care. His pride had been damaged by Suoh when everyone had laughed at him in the corridor. He would have to get back at him. Unfortunately, he couldn't use Anna. However...he glanced around at the guys who had somehow become Suoh's loyal followers.

There were other ways he could.

* * *

English class was typically boring and everyone tended to sleep away. After the teacher left, Anna poked Mikoto whose head was lying on the desk as he slept.

He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Mikoto, will you give me Lion-O?"

"No,"

"But-"

He stood up and grabbed up his backpack. He had shoved Lion-O into it. He had to meet Natsume just now and speak to her about his detention with Iwao. Nothing incredible had really happened; the guy just tried to get him to talk and Mikoto did not feel like talking so they spent an hour in silence.

"Mikoto," Anna said his name again. He turned to her.

Her eyes widened and they oddly shiny.

He knew that look.

That damned manipulative look.

Mikoto turned away quickly before he fell for it. "Not working, brat," he let her know, and he walked away, heading to his own school.

Anna sighed miserably.

She still didn't understand why he walked around with it wherever he went.

Did he really hate Lion-O that much?

* * *

Mikoto went over the schedule they had later. He had some classes that afternoon, all of which were finishing early so that he could take that ballroom dancing class.

Since co-ed interaction ended with that first class, Mikoto and Anna could not have lunch together. Instead, Mikoto had to make do with Izumo in the nurse's office where he ate another roast beef sandwich made by Chef. The main cook of the Natsume household had made it his goal in life to make Mikoto say something good about the food he made.

The result was Mikoto being fed excessive portions of food, all of which were Chef's attempts to satisfy the hard to please young man.

"You're coming to dance this afternoon, right?" Izumo questioned.

"Guess so," Mikoto responded as he bit into his sandwich.

"You should come. It involves body contact,"

Mikoto obviously did not care for he just continued eating.

"Imagine all the guys lining up to practice with Anna,"

Mikoto stopped midway from taking a bite out his sandwich. His eyes narrowed. Izumo smirked. "There's only one way to get around that you know. You have to come,"

Mikoto muttered something under his breath. "Fine. Why did you even sign up to be an assistant to that hag from the Blue Clan?"

"I thought it might fun," Izumo replied with a grin.

Mikoto tsked in annoyance, not understanding what Izumo was trying to do with the woman from the Blue Clan, especially when he himself knew that there was no future for the two of them.

"You see Munakata around?" Mikoto questioned.

"We haven't crossed paths...yet. It's only the second day and I'm hardly ever in the staffroom. I usually spend it with Aoi,"

Mikoto nodded. The two obviously had a lot in common: alcohol and daughters. Even if Izumo's was adopted and she probably considered him to be a big brother.

* * *

Mikoto strode out of his final class for the afternoon. He had to head over to the gymnastics room which they had prepared for the dance classes. From what he learned, the Silver King's cat woman was the one who had drawn so much people to it, and after she left, the club just went dead so they had to disband it.

The equipment was rented out to other schools so the room was more or less empty now.

"Suoh!" came the voice of Masa Masaru.

Mikoto glanced around to see Masa standing with his henchmen.

"What?" Mikoto asked in annoyance.

"Look outside the window,"

Mikoto did so. There was a soccer field outside this wing of the building. Being forced to run in circles around the field was all the guys who had followed after Mikoto that morning.

Mikoto shrugged and walked off. He had to get to dance class to make sure no one _inappropriately_ touched Anna.

"Don't you care that these guys who followed you around like dogs are being forced to pay for your mistake?" Masa demanded.

"I didn't do anything wrong," Mikoto pointed out and proceeded to walk again. Masa hurried after him.

"You disrespected me!" Masa snarled.

Mikoto paused and looked at him when he finally reached his side. "So you can't wipe your own ass?" Then he glanced at the irritating guy's henchmen who were following closely with worried expressions. "unless one of these does it for you."

Masa's face reddened. He was clearly outraged. "What crude language to use in my presence! How dare you?"

He pulled out his phone and proceeded to make a phone-call.

Mikoto continued walking. He didn't like getting caught up in these matters, but he didn't like seeing people get oppressed. He figured that if anyone touched Anna, he would deal with them later...and probably dump some water on her to wash away their filthy touch from her.

He went down the stairs and then out the hall which led into the football field.

Other male students were there, sitting on the benches on the outskirts of the field.

One of them had a megaphone. "Thirty more laps!" he shouted.

Mikoto calmly sat down beside that guy who glanced at him in he smirked and offered Mikoto a water bottle.

"Here you go, pal,"

Mikoto accepted it and began to drink from it. At the same time, those running paused and gasped at the sight of Mikoto blatantly drinking water in front of them.

"Keep moving you sluggards! Your beloved leader is indulging himself in water! Aren't you pissed off?"

"Mikoto-sama!" someone cried pitifully.

"Get moving or we'll send reports of bad discipline to the director who will send it to your families! You know what a disgrace it is to be taken out of this school!"

The guys groaned and began moving again. So that was how Masa was getting them to do what he wanted. Mikoto doubted that Masa actually had enough information to give a bad report on the teenage boys, and more than likely, they believed that he was capable of creating false evidence to show that they had misbehaved in some large way, mainly because Masa's family had enough wealthy to supply him with the means of getting this evidence together.

As they rounded the next lap, Masa appeared beside Mikoto and gave him a large, piping hot cinnamon bun.

"It's one of the very best. You go on and enjoy it,"

Mikoto accepted it and began to consume it with his sour expression remaining the same. Those on the field looked at him mournfully, but continued their movement. Mikoto was given another bottle of water to wash it down. His followers on the field were thirsty and starved, and here was Mikoto drinking and eating as if he didn't have a care in the world.

He was then offered a lunchbox with sushi and a small pizza, all of which he calmly ate while the boys who had been following him earlier ran around the field, half dead with exhaustion, with dried lips and parched throats.

"Is this the guy you were following? He doesn't even care about you all! Don't you just want to tear him apart?" the guy with the megaphone demanded of them.

"They'll mob you after this," Masa stated with a smirk. His plan had been to create so much tension and hate among the followers of Suoh Mikoto, that when their suffering ended, they would make Mikoto pay while Masa could sit back and enjoy the satisfaction of having the one who humiliated him be pounded by the very ones who had become devoted to him. He was certainly a vengeful and cruel young man.

Mikoto finished off his pizza. It was when he dumped the crust into the box and threw it aside that one of the boys on the field finally snapped.

"That's it! Why the hell did I even think you were some kind of cool guy? You're nothing but a lazy, thoughtless jerk!" It was the nerdy boy who shouted this.

"Yeah! Mikoto doesn't give a damn, why should we put up with this?"

Others began to agree.

Mikoto sighed wearily and snatched the megaphone from the guy who had it. Its owner was startled at the abrupt removal of his property. Then, before he could react, Mikoto slammed it across his face, effectively cracking his skull and knocking him out so that he fell to the ground, bleeding from his mouth and the side of his head.

"Did he just get bitch-slapped with a megaphone?" someone asked, breaking the shocked silence. Everyone else looked at each other, completely confused by Mikoto's actions.

Mikoto dropped the megaphone unthinkingly on top of its owner and shoved his hands in his pockets. "You're getting angry at me because you guys are too chicken to do that?"

Everyone was thrown into confusion. They looked at each other, bewildered.

"But if we don't listen, they'll send bad reports of us," someone pointed out.

Mikoto shrugged. "There are twice the amount of you guys over them and you're letting yourself be picked on. More than half of you look like you're trained in martial arts and sports, and you're telling me none of you are willing to stick up for yourselves? You're letting yourselves be bullied. I won't help a bunch of cowards,"

"But we can't fight! If we show that we're being indisciplined-"

"Your head of Discipline _isn't_ showing any discipline. Isn't that even more disgraceful?" Mikoto pointed out before walking away.

The group of teenagers who had been overworked in the field thought over what he said. He was right. What the hell did it matter if they got thrown out of the school and considered to be disgraced?

No one should have the right to stomp on them like that and they were allowing themselves to be tricked by a brat simply because he had more money than their families.

Masa and his friends took a step back at the sight of the angry mob of oppressed teens. He was in _a_ _lot_ of trouble.

* * *

"Hello, Awashima-_sensei," _Izumo stated upon entry into the large room that had originally been used for gymnastics. The ground was bare of any of the original blue mats and instead, lacquered flooring was revealed.

Half of the upper part of the walls were covered with white curtains and beneath it a panel of wood was placed and from there, new sets of attractive beige curtains were hung and tied very neatly, giving the room the authentic look of a dance studio.

Lights and chandeliers were also hung to give off a different light effect to further create an elegant atmosphere.

Seri was dressed in a plain white short sleeved shirt that completely covered her large breasts but somehow enhanced their appearance. Her hair was tied up into a ponytail and she wore on a aqua skirt that was a little more than just above her knees. Her feet were covered by two black strapped heels.

She narrowed her eyes at Izumo and fought hard to not glare at him. "Good afternoon, Kusanagi-_sensei_,"

Students were already filtering into the rooms. Since Seri was here only to teach dancing, she was not located in the staffroom so this was her first time coming across Izumo.

She had hoped to avoid him.

Izumo did always look quite fine in a work suit. Today, however, he was dressed a bit more casually in a pair of blue jeans with his black shirt tucked into it neatly. He had drawn the long sleeves up to his arms and looked very much like a male model. His blond hair and purple glasses remained the same, as well as those handsome good looks that had all the female population of students sighing dreamily.

Meanwhile, the boys drooled over Seri's almost perfect body and had come up with a nickname for her.

"I hope I get to dance with Ms Tits and Ass," one boy commented.

Another nodded.

"Some of the boys are late today, Kusanagi-sensei. Do you know why?" Seri questioned, strict as ever.

He grinned and shrugged. "I haven't a clue at all, Awashima-sensei,"

"Well we cannot wait any longer. We need to start," Awashima stated and turned to the students in the room.

The girls were definitely outnumbering the boys.

"I want everyone to gather together," Seri instructed.

Everyone obeyed while Izumo remained at Seri's side with his hands in his pockets.

Anna remained somewhere to the back, but Izumo's eyes searched her out and found her in the crowd. She nodded, showing that she acknowledged him. He smiled in reply and the surrounding girls blushed, wondering who he was smiling at. However, his head turned away before they could properly figure it out.

"As everyone knows, your final year dance is coming up. As such, it is required that all of you learn how to dance. Now tell me, how many of you have experience with ballroom dancing?"

Only a few people raised their hands.

"How many people have experience with any form of dance at all,"

Several more raised their hands, including Akemi and Anna as they were involved in the ballet club.

"Very good. That means that you should have fairly good posture to carry out proper dancing," Seri stated. She turned to Izumo. "Kusanagi-sensei and I will be showing you all the moves you need to know. In ballroom dancing, the usual steps used come from the rumba, waltz and foxtrot," She returned her attention to the class, "does anyone here think that ballroom dancing is boring and a waste of time?"

No one raised their hands or shook their heads.

"Excellent," Seri stated with a brief smile. She turned to Izumo. "shall we show them a basic example, Kusanagi-sensei?"

"It's been a while since I've done the rumba with anyone, Awashima-sensei," Izumo stated and held out his hand to her. "but I would be honored to have you as my partner."

Seri almost smiled, but she didn't and accepted Izumo's warm hand. They assumed proper posture and slipped their arms around each other into proper positions. As her arm rest on his, she could feel the heat and strength of his limb against her. The only other parts of them that touched was their opposite hands. Hers was slightly smaller than his but he held a firm grip on it with his own.

Soon, they began to move and he took the lead as they did the 'quick-quick-slow' movements associated with rumba. It reminded Seri of the many times she had wanted to be in his arms, just for him to hold her close and share that warmth that was inside of him to, melt that frozen blade of ice she had become.

Seri looked up at his handsome face.

"No one didn't say that it was boring because of us, you know, Seri-chan. They only stayed because we are attractive. We _would_ make an attractive couple you know,"

Seri retorted with narrowed eyes. "You know it's not possible," She didn't like when he said this. Why was being this way? He _knew_ there was nothing for them in the future.

Izumo gave her a lopsided smile. "How is your King?"

Seri immediately stopped and let go of him and turned to the students. "I wanted for everyone to pair off so that we could do this properly, but it seems that it might not be possible with so many boys missing,"

"We can pair up some of the girls with each other," Izumo pointed out.

Seri looked thoughtful. "But the first class is very important. I don't want so many missing out on it. It may also prove to be confusing to some of the girls because when dancing together, one of them will have to take the lead while in traditional ballroom dancing, it's the male who lead. It can create problems when they do start dancing for real,"

Izumo nodded, "I understand, but there isn't much choice is there?"

"We can teach them the basic steps without a partner," she decided. Before she could continue, Mikoto walked into the room as if he was perfectly on time.

"You're late! Where are the others?" Awashima demanded.

He shrugged and wandered toward the crowd of students who automatically parted with his movements.

He stopped when he reached Anna's side. She blinked up at him.

"How come you're late?" she questioned.

"Something came up,"

Before she could wonder what that meant, she saw his eyes narrow at a certain someone. She followed his line of vision and saw that it was on Akemi and Kei who were standing side by side. Kei looked wary while Akemi was completely unnerved by the presence of their friend's supposed brother.

Mikoto glanced at Anna. "I guess you didn't listen, huh?"

She knew he meant he knew that she was still talking to Kei.

"Mikoto..."

"And the blonde is his girlfriend," Mikoto said and turned away.

Akemi's face went red at his words. "No! I'm not this idiot's girlfriend! He dumped that airhead this morning!"

"As if I'd ever grace you with that privilege, Akemi!" Kei shot back, miffed.

"If I fall for a guy, he won't be anything like you!" Akemi retorted.

Mikoto frowned. "She's Akemi?" Mikoto asked Anna.

She nodded.

"Then who's Crystal-Belle?"

_"Anna, you've missed two days of school. Your friends have asked for you," Natsume informed her as Mikoto and Izumo stood in her hospital room._

_Surprised, they turned to Natsume. "Friends? Oh yes I remember you telling us that Anna had two friends," Izumo stated._

_"Yes, Crystal-Belle and..." Natsume's voice trailed off, seemingly uncertain._

_"And?" Izumo prompted. Mikoto had narrowed his eyes._

_"Akemi," Anna put in._

_"Yes, Akemi! I forgot her name for a moment!" Natsume laughed. _

_"They must be really good people for Anna to be friends with them," Izumo commented. "Anna protected one of them from bullying, right?" _

_"Yes, a true Red Clan member she is. But I think Anna needs some food in her stomach now. I'm having some soup sent up to her," she looked at Anna, "once you gain strength, you can return to classes."_

_"What did you tell Akemi?" she questioned._

_"That you had a family emergency," Natsume answered._

_"I see,"_

_"What did you tell the other one then? Crystal-Belle?" Mikoto asked. Something was odd about their behavior and he had this strange niggling feeling that they were hiding something from him._

_"The same thing," Natsume answered with a shrug, trying to change the topic._

They were interrupted when several sweaty, exhausted-looking male students entered the room.

"What happened to you? Why are you like this?" Awashima asked them.

The guys were momentarily stunned by the sight of their dance teacher, awed by her bouncing chest and rounded hips.

"Well?" she demanded.

"We were just playing with the Disciplinary committee," one of them responded.

"You look terrible! Perhaps we should cancel class today,"

Her cleavage jiggled as she turned her attention to the handsome man at her side. Her backside looked smooth and all the guys could only think of filling their hands with it.

They were exhausted.

Dead tired.

Pissed off.

But the sight of 'Ms. Tits and Ass' made them forget that.

Blood was almost spurting from their noses.

"No way! We'll stick around!" the boys shouted and as sweaty and smelly they were, grabbed hold of some of the girls surrounding them, pairing themselves off. The girls cried out and squirmed to get away.

"Let them go! I cannot allow you interact with the girls in such a filthy condition! How ungentlemanly!" Seri scolded them.

"Um...if I may intervene here, Awashima-sensei," Izumo said coaxingly despite the angry glare she shot him.

He turned to the girls. "Teenager guys in this day and age try to impress the girls they like by working out and building strong muscles. They may be sweaty and dirty, but I think they did it because they wanted their bodies to get a rugged look before they came to you girls so you could like them better,"

It was a stupid explanation. Seri's mouth dropped open, not because of how ridiculous it was, but because the girls were dumb enough to fall for it.

Then again, if she was there age and Izumo had turned on his charm like he did for those girls with a sweet smile and gently persuasive words, she probably would have fallen for it too.

"Isn't that right, boys?" Izumo asked.

Their eyes remained on Seri and they nodded together quickly. They wanted a chance to interact with their new sexy teacher!

The girls were all blushing and looking at their male sensei very shyly.

"Well...we can put up with them...for _you_ Kusanagi-sensei,"

* * *

Meanwhile, to the back of the room, Akemi managed to say to Mikoto without trembling, "_I'm_ Crystal-Belle. Akemi is my Japanese name,"

Mikoto gave her a slight frown and then turned to Anna. "That so, huh?"

Somewhere to the front of the room, Seri called out, "Alright, everyone pair off!"

Immediately, Mikoto's arm went around Anna's waist, meaning that she was now his partner. He pulled her hard against his side and Anna looked up at him. Although it fascinated her that his face was a much closer distance to her face than his twenty six year old self, it did not mean that she was particularly happy when he displayed signs of being angry.

As he was doing now.

Suddenly, the pair was being surrounded by other couples. Anna noted that they were mostly from the group who had come in late. She strongly suspected that Mikoto had something to do with their late presence.

However, she also noted that their behavior was similar to that of Homra members where they would surround Mikoto whenever they walked down the street. He was their King and they surrounded him almost protectively even if he might usually be the one to protect them in a dangerous situation. As Anna was always at Mikoto's side, she would normally be in the midst of the pack with them.

She realized that Mikoto had somehow unwittingly formed a gang at the very elite Boys' School at Seneca High.

The boys had come to respect Suoh for their words. As for Masa and his underlings...

* * *

"I'll get you for this, Suoh," Masa swore as he lay collapsed in the field with his lackeys. They had been given a severe beating and Masa had a black eye, split lip and possibly some damaged bones. What Masa did not understand was why a single security guard had not come to help them. Although the schools were probably infested with the guards who only seemed to move if they caught a whiff of a fight going on, not one had appeared to help out.

As he was trying to figure out ways of getting revenge on Suoh, his eyes fell upon a pair of leather shoes in front of him. He caught the scent of cigarette smoke and looked up to see the face of Haru Natsume who had a cigarette stuck between his lips.

It was not the normal 'grandpa' expression Anna usually witnessed; no it was every bit a cruel army sargeant's. He had a cigarette between his lips as he smirked.

"I see you tried to use my form of punishment to exercise discipline, Masa-kun. It is the permission granted to the Disciplinary Committee but is only allowed for on serious occasions,"

Masa struggled to sit up. "Haru-sensei, those guys need to be punished,"

Haru grinned, looking somewhat younger...and a bit cruel.

"I think justice has been served, Masa-kun, and to you that is. Even if your family is wealthy, it is by no means difficult for me to throw you out of here because of the level of respect this school has. The one who it will be reflected badly on is you,"

Masa knew that that was true. However, he had managed to use his position to abuse his power in authority simply because he had convinced the others that he could. They never stood up for themselves, and having grown up in a world where money served the purpose of giving power, the other students had believed him when he flaunted his situation and they themselves had given him power over them by believing everything he said. He was therefore able to step on them as he liked.

Until Suoh came along; a person who was not impressed by wealth and did not seem to care for it. Yet, he was respected by everyone thought he hardly lifted a finger to earn it.

Hadn't he enjoyed a huge meal at the expense of the others? Simply because everyone had been fooled based on certain premises, giving the false sense that they should be afraid of Masa.

But Suoh had pointed out how easy it was for them to take away Masa's power over them by simply showing them to stand up for themselves because they _could_.

And they _did_.

And Masa got his ass kicked.

"You're no longer Head of the committee, Masa-kun,"

"Will you tell my family?" Masa asked. Having his position removed was now a big deal to him for he was already in enough physical pain as it was. He would probably bawl over it later when he began to heal in the hospital.

"You've been humbled. I think this is enough," Haru told him.

* * *

"This is how you need to position yourselves. Ladies you need to rest your arm on the arm of your partner..." Seri was instructing them as she showed them how to position themselves, using Izumo. She continued to show them the basic steps a waltz as the music played.

"Okay you need to move going 1,2,3 and 1,2,3," she continued.

Mikoto's skin was hot against hers, from the arm that was under hers, to the hand that held her to simply his palm on her back, to simply being a very small distance from his body for she could feel his heat. There was still unmovable strength in his body and she could feel it with the grip of his hands and rigid arms.

"You're angry," she murmured as they did as Seri instructed.

As Mikoto led her in the movements, he replied, "Damn right I am, Anna. Since when did you become such a liar?"

"You wouldn't have approved," Anna pointed out as she looked into his angry golden eyes which remained a pale gray in her vision due to her color blindness. His arm slid downward to her waist and pulled her against him as they danced so that their midriffs were pressed against each other.

"Of course I wouldn't have!" he snapped. "you're becoming someone I don't know!"

"You would have gotten mad,"

"I'm mad now,"

"Kei is my friend. He's a good guy," Anna insisted. Although her expression did not change, her eyes gave off a very serious look.

"He's hiding something, Anna,"

Anna replied, "I _know_ that. But aren't I as well?" Kei didn't know much about her power, or her past, or where she was from. In fact, he knew very little about her background.

Mikoto's hold on her tightened so that she could actually feel the belt buckle of his trousers press almost punishingly against her soft stomach, through her school shirt. He glared at her. "There's something strange about that guy,"

"There's something strange about me as well,"

"I don't trust him!"

"Then you don't trust me!" she shot back.

Anna was glaring right back at him.

_Angrily_.

Anna of all people was _mad_ at him. They began to move faster, going out of time with the music.

Anna's reaction ticked Mikoto off. "Why the hell are you so protective of that guy!" His arm tightening around her, banding her to him.

"Because he's my friend! You're just angry that I didn't meet him because of you! You don't trust me to make decisions on my own!" Anna snapped in reply. Her behavior stunned him enough to allow her to she shoved Mikoto away from her, with her anger on fire. She proceeded to walk quickly out of the room. Although her features remained neutral, anyone could tell that her eyes had a certain spark in them indicated a high level of vexation.

Izumo paused in his movements with Seri when he saw Anna go. He let the older woman go, but Mikoto was walking out of the room too. Mikoto shook his head at him, showing that he would go after Anna instead.

* * *

Akemi and Kei had been paired up and acted as if being near each other was the most annoying thing ever.

"No guy wanted to dance with you. Be grateful I pitied you,"

"Feel privileged that you're in my presence, pretty boy," Akemi shot back. They both glanced over at Anna and her brother who were a short distance away from them.

"They look really nice together huh?" Akemi murmured.

Kei looked at the couple and an almost bitter look came to his face. "They aren't related. One of them has to be adopted,"

Akemi glanced at him. "How do you know?"

"Don't you see the way Anna looks at him, or how she sounds when she speaks to him? There's more life in her voice and even her eyes. She loves that guy, and it _isn't_ in a brotherly way,"

Akemi was silent for a moment. Inside of her, a sense of anguish was washing up inside of her. Kei always teased her about her supposedly having feelings for him, but he based that on how she used to be in the past, before she had become friends with Anna. He really did not know that she still liked him. Even though she didn't want to know, she knew she had to ask in order to affirm the truth that she could see from his expression, "You like Anna very much, don't you?"

Kei looked down at her. Akemi had skillfully masked her own sorrow from Kei. It was one of those rare occasions when Kei was serious with her. "Say nothing to her about it,"

Kei returned his attention to the couple again so that he did not see the way Akemi's eyes wavered at his response.

"They look angry," Kei stated upon observation as Mikoto and Anna seemed to be having a heated discussion.

"What are you going to do about it?"

Kei glanced at Akemi again. "About what?"

"Anna,"

Kei shook his head. "There are some things that shouldn't be meddled with and I won't meddle with them. Anna gives me the impression that she would give up everything for that guy and he's like a fierce, overprotective lion when it comes to her," Kei answered as he recalled his own experience from the way he had been threatened by Mikoto. Even he could sense that he was like a lion. "Their bond is too deep and I'm not dumb enough to get in the way of it."

Akemi nodded and they looked at Anna and Mikoto again.

They watched as the two moved faster and faster with a shockingly aggravated expression on Anna's face and one to match the red head's as well. It culminated with Anna shoving her partner away and walking out of the room.

Akemi and Kei had been stunned.

* * *

**A/N: I stayed up until 3:00 am writing this chapter because once I started it, I couldn't stop. Then I fell asleep and forgot to post it :/ So here it is and I hope you enjoyed it!**

****I apologize for the lack of fluff.**

**Well, Anna is angry at Mikoto. **

**Izumo is worming his way into Seri's life for a reason she can't figure out.**

**Akemi likes Kei who likes Anna who likes Mikoto :/ (And Mikoto has kidnapped poor Lion-O!)**

**And Mikoto somehow formed a gang o.O**

**I know Seri's nickname is really perverted, but I could actually picture middle school guys calling her that and getting all worked up over her. **

**I also just realized that I wrote 33 chapters to this story and I feel like it was just yesterday I was on chapter 23. Lol.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and follows. You all keep me motivated to keep on writing, and I truly appreciate that. I love you all, thank you.**

**For all those who reviewed:**

**ravyncl: Well, the original idea had been for Mikoto and Anna to pair up and Akemi and Kei to pair up for the ballroom dancing classes :) Thanks for your lovely words, and are you German or learning German? **

**Nobody Special: My special reviewer, don't feel guilty! I love writing this story so much that I end up grumbling about schoolwork at the end of the chapter because I get annoyed when I have to take care of that first instead of finishing this story. The next chapter should answer your question on Anna's feelings for Kei. Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**

**fearfulfears: Lol! I know you didn't mean that! That was me babbling on without realizing that you might misunderstand what I was saying. Call it responding to reviews at some ungodly hour of the morning. I was going on about how Mikoto doesn't like Kei at all in terms of him being friends with Anna :) I would love to reveal Kei's past to you soon, but now isn't really the right time. It would just totally ruin the story. I'm glad you enjoy the story and thanks for the well wishes. They are much appreciated!**

**TheMipstaz: I never ever forgot you because you were one of the first people who left me reviews on this story! I'm so glad to hear from you! Thanks for your great words and hope you're doing well :)**

**Bree Renee: This chapter lacked some fluff, but I hope you enjoyed it still and I'm so glad you liked the ending of the last chapter. Hm...I think an angry Mikoto is probably really hot ;) Wow, that's so great you spent time with your crush! Well, I don't think that it's important that he's a year younger than you. The more important thing is what qualities he has that makes you like him so much ;) Anyway, I'm glad for you! I think this chapter should answer your question on how Kei sees Anna :) Thanks for the well wishes on school :)**

**LindyLinn: Ooh a kiss *wink* *wink* Well, I had some stuff with Akemi and Kei toward the end here :)**

**Mienchan-ish: Seri definitely is going to end up in some situations with those two. Nooo! You can't die young! Die old, happy with the love of your life and lots and lots of kids! Hope you look forward to the next chapter and that you liked this one :) Well, Akemi is a bit afraid of Mikoto but they should have some more interaction in the future :)**

**Mizuouji: I'm glad you liked it!**

**Indochine: You know, you aren't the only person who wanted them to kiss at the end of the chapter and no, it isn't strange at all :) Well, there is a chance that the evil teacher may not be so evil after all, based on the evidence there is on him ;) Or maybe he COULD be a real sicko o.O I can't reveal Kei's past now so you'll have to wait until much later on to find out. Sorry :/ Yes, I read trashbunny's translation. I felt so sorry for Anna :/ I can't wait to read the next part. **

**Ambivalencia: You know, you have a really nice username; it makes me think of putting 'ambient' and 'valiant' together :) Anyway, older Mikoto is awesome! I'm sorry your math score wasn't satisfying. I hate math myself. But there's always next time. Study hard, work hard, pray and I think you should be fine. Annoying girls can ruin one's day! I've met my share of them and I still come across them :/ I'm glad I made your day :)**

**ladeste: Hm...Anna _almost_ did win against Mikoto in this chapter to get back Lion-O. The only reason why she didn't was because he turned away before he could fall for her puppy eyes :p Hahaha I think Chef has a long wait before he gets one of those! And yes, Mikoto and Anna as dance partners. **

**Titania: Oh ok...you used to play basketball? That's cool :) Yeah, and Mikoto still doesn't like Kei. I have an idea for Anna and Fushimi interaction, and thanks for the well wishes on Uni :)**

**Little Weirdo: Thanks for your lovely words and they were much appreciated! I'm just glad to know you're enjoying the story :)**

**Biabara: It might be typical of Fushimi to do something like that, wouldn't it? Well, Anna did decide on her own to keep Kei as her friend though, but you'll see some Fushimi and Anna interaction. Hope you look forward to it :)**

**xNightDreamerx: Hey, thanks for pointing that out! I appreciate it :) Anna does ballet but the dance they're doing is ballroom dancing with Seri. This chapter explained it :) Thanks for your kind words, and hope you still like this younger Mikoto :)**

**Hodgeheg: Seemingly so! I hope you liked the parts with Masa in this chapter :)**

**Shiary: You're welcome, and I understand. This story has become very long (even I get surprised by how long it is) and that part was just a small portion of one chapter. **

**D: Well you'll find out all of that...much later on though. **

**FragileBlueButterflies (for chapter 7): It does make me glad to know that you are enjoying this story. I really don't expect you or anyone else to like every aspect of the story, but when you said ****'But I really despise the idea of Seri, and Izumo together, so I almost sort of vomited at the way he came on to her like that but it's your story, so sorry if that sounds rude. I'm just stating my opinion though I know it's not needed' I wondered why you decided to express your opinion if you knew that it was unnecessary and possibly rude. I'm not offended, just curious ;) I'm actually not a big fan of Seri herself, or Seri/Izumo but I think their relationship is really interesting and I like exploring it in the context of this story, so just as a forewarning although you may have probably realized it already, there's going to be more Seri/Izumo stuff in it. But since you seem to like this story so much, do what I do when I come across couples I don't like in a fanfic that I love: ignore those parts :)**

**Arius the Heretic: Hey, that's still great you got into that prestigious college! I'm proud of you! You may like it better than you think and I hope that you do (and a lot more than Yata too!) :)**

**nannerlovessnickers: You'll find out more on the potentially perverted teacher in good time :)**

**SomReviewer: Hey there, thanks for your lovely words. Well it does seem that out of everyone, Mikoto has so far had the most interaction with Iwao, but remember, Iwao COULD actually be innocent...or he could be a complete freak o.O There are definitely more Seri/Izumo/Reisi moments.**

**Thanks again, all of you for your lovely words. I truly appreciate it. **

**God bless :)**


	34. PMS

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

**_A/N: It's been about a week since I last updated. I'm so sorry. Some stuff came up but don't worry I have not died, nor do I have any intention of dropping this story ;)_**

**_Anyway, based on the title of this chapter, you can understand Anna's OOCness at the end of the last chapter._**

**_Enjoy :D_**

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 34: PMS

Anna was stunned by herself. Never _ever_ had she reacted like that toward anyone. Well, maybe that one time when Tatara had tried to film her, but even back then, she hadn't been so angry. It was like her temper was on a an edge and Mikoto had begun to _grit_ her nerves for his berating her for her friendship with Kei. Anna was not used to having her King, of all people, breathing down her neck. It was like being _suffocated_.

Normally, she was one to take in such things with a calm face but for some reason she felt like she could take it no more and had a desperate urge to snap, "Shut up!" at her beloved King of all people.

While she did not reach that point she _did_ eventually trip off and had given him a few choice words before leaving the room.

She had wandered around the school grounds unthinkingly, and ended up going through the forested area outside of the cathedral. The weather was currently cold enough to be treated like autumn in the mountains, although on the flat ground it was really the ending of spring with the onset of summer.

Anna was not dressed warmly and had forgotten to pick up her jacket and scarf which she had left with her backpack in the newly turned dance studio.

She therefore shivered as she stood under a coniferous tree. Somehow, she had wandered deep into the thicket of trees, only to come upon a waterfall. It was obviously running from the top of the mountain and running over a rocky path to hit a small plunge pool which narrowed into a running river.

Anna momentarily forgot the cold as she gazed at the beautiful sight. As she took it in, she recalled the recent incident during dance class. She became confused by her emotions because she suddenly felt ashamed of herself for behaving like that toward Mikoto, and sad because she had upset him. That surprised her as well, for one moment she had been so terribly infuriated by him, and the next, she was so upset with herself for acting that way, and sorry toward Mikoto for being her victim.

Anna stiffened when she heard footsteps crunching through the ground behind her.

* * *

Saruhiko Fushimi often thought of himself as having a good position of authority. He was third in command over Scepter 4. Top of the line reports when through him before they reached the King. He was even the Blue King's favorite...or so it was claimed.

Yet, here he was, being a little errand boy, running from here to there like a little mouse, searching around for the lost glasses of Munakata Reisi.

Fushimi really did end up in some daunting positions that blasted at his ego.

He was a dignified fighter and carried a sword of his own. He had jurisdiction over highly powerful strains and helped to discipline them. He tracked enemies down like a bloodhound and he was highly respected!

Yet he could _not_ find Munakata Reisi's glasses.

Ah, the poor ego of Fushimi Saruhiko.

He was glad Misaki wasn't around to view his plight. No doubt his former friend, the obedient dog of Homra would find this situation highly amusing and laugh like a hyena over it.

"Ha! Not so great now, are you, Saru?!" Misaki would probably have taunted him. Now that Fushimi thought about it, Yata did not really call him 'Saru' anymore, did he? No, he called him 'Fushimi'.

How boring, Fushimi thought miserably.

He tsked as he walked through the trees, trying to clear his mind. Thoughts of Yata Misaki served to depress him even more.

Somehow, Fushimi found himself standing before an unexpected, and quite beautiful scenery: a refreshing waterfall in practically the middle of nowhere in the mountains. Fushimi had come out here to clear his head and cheer himself up over his current situation. To his surprise, he saw a girl dressed in nothing but the checkered skirt of her uniform with its shirt and jacket. Her back was to him but it was enough for him to think that that was not quite enough to be covered in out on a cold day like this.

* * *

"Hey, why are you dressed like that out here?" came a familiar voice behind her.

Anna turned around to see standing there was none other than Fushimi Saruhiko. He was dressed in the High School uniform but made sure to keep a thick scarf around his neck to protect him from the weather.

Anna blinked at him. He blinked at her as well as if he was surprised in some way.

"Anna...aren't you Anna?"

She nodded. "Saruhiko,"

"I had no idea you were attending this school," he commented. He had heard that during the incident with the Rise, Mikoto had chosen to send Anna away to a school of his own choice, but he hadn't expected it to be to one as elite as Seneca.

Anna continued to look at him blankly as he walked closer to her until he stood at her side. He gazed at the waterfall for a moment though his thick lens and then turned his attention to look down at Anna. "You've changed a lot,"

She looked up at him and blinked again.

"You don't look like that little girl I remember from Homra," he continued.

"It was two years ago," 'I grew' were her unspoken words.

Two years ago she looked like she was eight. She now looked like she was actually fourteen or fifteen but he recalled that she had to be about thirteen only.

Fushimi looked thoughtful. "Yes, two years ago when you were stuck between those vending machines,"

"I was not stuck," Anna responded and Fushimi could almost hear those words echo from his mind from two years before.

"You may have changed physically, but you're still the same uncute brat,"

Anna didn't sat anything but merely returned her attention to the beautiful waterfall.

"You're cold," Fushimi stated.

"I'm not cold," Anna retorted.

Fushimi wasn't in the mood to go down that road again, and although Anna remained expressionless, he sensed that there was some turmoil in her by the distracted way she watched the waterfall.

Wordlessly, he removed his scarf and dropped it on her head. Startled by the movement, she removed the orange material from her head and looked at it. Then she glanced up at Fushimi.

"Saru...hiko?" she voiced his name uncertainly.

He tsked in annoyance. "Your nose is red and irritates me," he explained in annoyance. That was his way of saying, 'You're cold and you shouldn't be, so just use the damned scarf'.

Anna carefully wrapped the scarf around her neck. It served to warm her up a little. She looked at Fushimi again.

"Won't you feel cold too?"

He didn't respond to that, but asked instead, "Why are you out here by yourself? You're always stuck at Mikoto-san's side and now that he's here, shouldn't you be with him?"

Anna didn't answer that. Instead she told him, "You're hiding from Yata,"

He glared at her random words. "I'm not hiding from that moron!"

Anna remained silent. Fushimi cursed. "There's nothing for us to compete in. He's ahead of me now that he's a world class athlete, and even here, he's a coach. There's no common ground for us to meet on anymore,"

Anna had always known of Fushimi's resentment toward Yata and the King. He had been Yata's friend first and had joined Homra only to please Yata. Then his friend began to praise the king and worship the very ground he walked on. He pushed aside Fushimi in favor of Mikoto and to this day, never really understood that he had been largely to blame for Fushimi's initial involvement with Homra, as well as his joining of Scepter 4.

"I always thought Saruhiko was the kind to find something to compete with him in," Anna commented.

Fushimi glanced at her. His expression became sour, but he knew that it was true what she was saying. So far he had only come across Yata when he had been surrounded by the girls. Since then, he had stayed away. In truth, he had become envious of Yata.

His friend had abandoned him for someone else, and Fushimi had spent their encounters over the next few years egging him on and telling him to catch up. Their meetings had fueled the sadistic side of Saruhiko Fushimi and created an almost bipolar existence in him where fighting against him gave him that rush of fun he used to have with Yata and in the memory of their friendship, one part of him wanted for Yata to get better.

The sadistic part of him, on the other hand, was glad when he defeated Yata because he saw it as almost divine punishment for betraying their friendship and being so damned clueless about it.

Now, it wasn't fair at all; Yata had found his own way in life and while some part of Fushimi was glad for his former friend, there was that part of him that couldn't accept that as fairness. Where was his justice? Why did Yata, who betrayed him _first_ by neglecting their friendship, deserve so much success?

There was a long moment of silence between Anna and Fushimi, save for the wind that blew and stole Anna's hair ribbon, loosening the long waves of beautiful silvery white hair and playing with it almost casually. Anna gently brushed some from her face.

Fushimi turned away quickly, almost blushing. Anna had looked like some sort of ethereal being for a moment for she was quite unique and lovely. Although he would never try anything on a young person like Anna, he had to admit that she was growing up to be quite beautiful.

"Mikoto...got me angry..." Anna explained. As if automatically, she reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a set of familiar marbles which she proceeded to fiddle with in one hand.

Fushimi was surprised.

Anna?

_Angry_?

At _Mikoto_?

The same little brat who clung to him and although she didn't kiss the very ground Mikoto walked upon like Yata did, she was very attached to him and would probably obey him as much as Yata did, was actually _mad_ at Mikoto?

"_You_?"

She nodded. "He didn't like one of my friends who is a guy," she explained.

Fushimi frowned. "Why not?"

"He says he doesn't trust him," Normally Anna would not be one to confide in anyone, but she was so upset with herself, and stunned by her own reaction of actually becoming so angry that she needed to offload that burden of misery onto someone.

Fushimi was silent for a while. "Mikoto-san isn't an ignorant person," Fushimi said carefully. "and he wouldn't say someone isn't trustworthy without good reason. You know that,"

"I think he's being unfair,"

"Maybe," Fushimi conceded. "but Mikoto-san has seen his share of rotten people in the world. You have too, but he's seen them at more levels than even you. He may have a good reason to be distrustful of your friend and just wants to protect you,"

His words made Anna feel even more miserable. Fushimi continued, in an almost sympathetic note, "I think you know this,"

Reluctantly, she nodded.

"The vase in the tea club's room,"

Fushimi looked at her. "Eh?"

She casually placed her hand in her pocket to put away her marbles. "The thing you're searching for,"

Fushimi understood. He nodded and moved to walk away. "Don't you want your scarf back?" Anna asked.

He shook his head. "Keep it. It's repayment for helping me," he replied and went his way.

Anna almost smiled compassionately when she saw him shiver slightly before stiffening and trying to move along as if he was perfectly alright and there was no such thing as cold weather affecting his body's temperature.

Anna stayed a while longer before she decided to go back. She figured she would apologize to Mikoto and try to talk things out with him...somehow.

It was when she took a particular path out of the forest that her vision caught the immediate sight of the color red in her black and white world. She followed it to a particularly tall pine tree and to her surprise, she saw Mikoto slumped against it, sleeping with his arms behind his head against the massive trunk of the tree, and his legs outstretched before him.

Anna hid cautiously behind the tree right next to the one he was sleeping on for she caught sight of her stolen Lion-O. He was sitting right next to Mikoto, leaning onto his stomach.

Cautiously, almost rabbit-like, Anna advanced two steps toward it. Then she paused.

And waited.

Mikoto didn't stir.

So, she took another step forward so that she was right next to Mikoto.

Then she slowly knelt down beside him, not minding that her bare knees were touching the cold, dirt laden ground.

She stretched out her hand and snatched her Lion-O away quickly. She scooted back a bit and hugged the plushie to her as she observed signs of Mikoto's possibly waking up. When it seemed that he would remain asleep, she debated about whether or not she should go or wait for Mikoto to wake up.

He was not using any of his power for she could see no red aura around him to keep him warm. So, she removed the scarf Fushimi had given to her and quickly tucked it at Mikoto's neck. She could not properly wrap it around him because he was pressed against the tree and too much movements would awaken him.

Then, she sat back and watched him. It had been a while since she had really gazed upon his beautiful red. Her eyes centered at his chest area and remained there for she never ceased to be awed by its beauty.

Her eyes moved to observe his other features. Fourteen year old Mikoto and twenty six year old Mikoto had the same face. His fourteen year old self just had a smaller head. His hair also grew downward but it still had that pretty red. His expression was more mean than his older self though and he tended to be more blunt in his words and actions.

Anna felt deep, deep sadness welling up in her. He was a King, over a large clan. He was powerful and could be terribly frightening.

And yet he was so gentle with her. He always let her near him and allowed her certain freedoms with him, which she knew he would never allow with anyone else from the clan. He was protective of her, almost too overprotective but it showed just how deeply he cared for her.

He was not a foolish person and she had told him things, mean things, in a tone of voice that he did not deserve to hear from her.

She knew she had behaved terribly irrational, and she was upset with herself for it, and worst of all, she could not understand why she had become so angry one minute and was suddenly close to tears the next.

Mikoto suddenly stirred and Anna moved away. She did not want him to witness her terrible misery. He might think himself either responsible for it, or she suspected he would get frustrated with her mood switches, that even she was baffled by.

However, as she turned to go, Mikoto's hand reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back down. Thinking he might try to take Lion-O away from her again, she hugged him closer to her chest and struggled to get away from Mikoto who had both her upper arms in a tight grip. Suddenly, he released her right arm which went around her waist and his nose was pressed into her hair. He began nuzzling at her favorite spot, knowing the soporific effect it would have on her.

"Mikoto," she grumbled, but he continued nuzzling her and then she suddenly realized that his hands, despite holding her firmly was gentler on her and the way he moved his nose against her hair was softer.

He was being very tender with her, something she was surprised by before she slumped into his arms and fell asleep, knowing she was safe there, against this beautiful red.

* * *

_Approximately 30 minutes ago:_

Mikoto had searched around for Anna but had not found her. He had eventually come upon Natsume as he headed past the Girls' school.

"Mikoto? What's wrong?" the older woman asked.

"Where's Anna?" he asked.

Natsume, with her power could sense that Mikoto was upset although he had a natural sour expression on his face.

Natsume looked at him thoughtfully.

"Did you two fight?"

Mikoto clicked his tongue in irritation. "If you're not going to tell me, then I won't waste my time asking you,"

Natsume, although being older than Mikoto whether at his teenage or adult self, and despite having the privilege of addressing him as simply 'Mikoto' rather than 'Mikoto-san', did have utmost respect for her King. He was, after all, her King and not only that, he was a good man who deserved respect despite never making any efforts to earn it.

She therefore answered, "I have not seen her,"

Mikoto looked annoyed but not at Natsume. "That brat," he muttered and turned to go.

"What happened? I may be able to help you know," Natsume pointed out.

Mikoto paused but then replied, "She yelled at me," he responded.

Natsume was stunned. "Anna...yelled?"

"I just said that, didn't I?"

"Why?"

Mikoto glared at her, "You did a pretty good job of covering up for her,"

Natsume was confused, but then she realized that he had learned about Kei. She smiled apologetically. "Neither Anna nor I thought you would like the idea of her having a male companion,"

Mikoto glared at her. "Of course I don't,"

"Because he looks like Tatara?"

"That isn't the reason!" Mikoto snarled. He was very edgy and close to loosing his temper which was already well known for being quite bad.

Natsume was quiet for a long moment. Then, slowly she said, "Kei has his own problems, Mikoto but I sense nothing wrong with him aside from his physical health. He is sickly and he has anemia which can lead to heart failure if he does not take proper care of himself. He tries to live each day as his last and enjoy his life because he doesn't know when next he's going to warded. He isn't a bad person and I think he's a very nice young man. Even if you may never get along with him, Anna has chosen this person to be her friend. If Anna thinks he's alright, shouldn't you trust her opinion?"

Mikoto said nothing. After all, Anna had said the same thing as Natsume, right?

While he was a compassionate person and pitied people and he did feel a little sorry for Kei health-wise, it did not change the fact that he disliked Anna's friend.

One reason was that he knew Kei had some deep dark secrets that even Natsume's assurance of him having 'nothing wrong with him' did not serve to reassure him.

The other reason was that Kei's presence in Anna's life made Mikoto feel threatened because the young man could take Anna's heart and in taking her heart, he could completely remove Anna from Mikoto's side.

All the tenderness between them that soothed Mikoto would be gone and that was what Mikoto did not want.

"Anna's first preference of anyone would always be you, Mikoto," Natsume told him carefully. Mikoto glanced at her when she spoke. The principal continued, "I've had to check her emotional health from time to time using my power to ensure that she is alright when she is away from Homra and all I could feel or see in her heart is her desire to be near you. Kei occupies a very small place in her heart as her friend, just as Akemi does and each one of her clansmen has their own little room in her, but you, Mikoto, you stand above all the others and that isn't going to change. Ever,"

Mikoto calmed somewhat at her words. "Then why did she loose her temper over him? Anna never displays such emotions." Mikoto pointed out. That was what worried him the most. Why would such a person evoke such powerful emotions from Anna?

Natsume seemed to be deep in thought. Then, she smiled as if she figured something out. "Haven't you ever heard of PMS?"

Mikoto cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Premenstrual syndrome," Natsume explained. "it's can happen about 10 days prior to-"

"I know," Mikoto cut in. Even though he was still missing a lot of memories, it seemed as though knowledge from school still stuck with him and since he was currently fourteen, the idea of a female bleeding like that disturbed him.

Natsume grinned. "If you have been particularly nagging toward her, she may not have had the ability to control her emotions as she usually does and probably unintentionally lost her temper,"

"I do not nag," Mikoto stated in a voice that matched his grumpy expression.

The principal merely chuckled. "Overbearing then. Anna doesn't usually display strong signs of PMS but over time it is possible for her to develop the symptoms more strongly," On a bit more serious note, she added, "even she might be confused by her own behavior."

Mikoto did not like the idea of Anna loosing her temper with him. Not because it would be uncharacteristic of her, but like a typical male, he wouldn't know how to deal with her.

"I know you can't recall everything, but perhaps there has been a time when Anna did show odd behavior,"

Mikoto snorted. "As if,"

However, a memory did suddenly come back to him...

_Izumo wiped the lovely dark brown surface of his bar's counter and sighed at how nice and shiny the rosewood became. He blushed with pleasure as its polished surface became more and more prominent with the more he wiped. _

"_He might start whispering naughty words to it soon," Yata snickered on the couch opposite to Anna. Kamamoto, beside him, chuckled in agreement. _

"_Why would he say bad things to it if he loves it so much?" Anna queried innocently. _

_Kamamoto and Yata froze. Ah, it was related sex, Anna realized. It was the only time anyone in Homra displayed such an expression when she asked such a question._

_Both men remained uncomfortable and unsure of what to say._

_Anna tilted her head slightly and blinked. "Kamamoto?" she pressed. When he didn't answer, she blinked wide gray eyes at Yata. _

_Yata had a caramel custard pudding on a saucer in front of him. It was the last one Izumo had had in the refrigerator and he took it. He stood up, shoved it toward Anna, delicately placed the spoon beside it, then grabbed Kamamoto's arm and the two ran out the door. _

_Anna lifted the spoon beside the plate and was about to dig in when something black dropped over head. With her spoon still in her hand, she shoved a familiar leather jacket up in time to see Mikoto passing in front of her. He sat beside her and leaned against the couch with a sigh. _

_She made a soft grunt as she pushed the jacket from her from her and stuffed it somewhere behind her. _

_She was about to return to her lovely pudding when the spoon was snatched out of her hand. Her eyes widened in surprise and she turned to Mikoto who was casually holding the spoon over her jiggly desert. _

_Before she could protest, he was digging into the pudding she had worked so hard to scam Yata and Kamamoto for. _

_Anna caught hold of Mikoto's sleeve. He paused and glanced at her. She pulled away her spoon from him. He narrowed his eyes. _

_In return, she gave him a look that displayed that she was not at all affected by any anger he may hold against her at that moment. _

_It made her look more mature than he had ever seen her. _

_Then, she calmly took the pudding, daintily placed it on her lap and ate it with agonizing slowness, as if relishing each bite of the already half demolished (thanks to Mikoto) pudding. Mikoto, baffled by her behavior, got up went over to the counter. He sat down on a bar stool._

"_Hey, what's with that?" he asked the bartender quietly. _

_Izumo shrugged. "Probably cravings. Women do get them quite often you know,"_

"_She's just a kid," Mikoto muttered._

"_She hit puberty so she's a teen. And she's probably more mature than the rest of us here," Izumo added thoughtfully._

"_Not after that stunt she pulled," Mikoto stated._

"_Well, you took her pudding from her in the first place," Izumo pointed out. _

_But that wasn't what Mikoto was talking about. He had seen Anna manipulate a situation to her advantage-meaning the one where she was able to get Yata to give her his pudding so that she wouldn't question them about a scenario that involved sexual innuendos. It was very much unlike Anna to do such a thing, but then again, she did hang out in Homra with guys who probably did the same thing so it should be expected that their behavior rub off on her in some way or the other._

_And he suspected she really did have cravings-considering the fact that they had had five puddings in the refrigerator yesterday, and Anna ate four of them and was currently on the last one. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't actually seen her eat any real food besides onigiri and she hadn't wanted omurice this morning. _

"_Oi," Mikoto called to Izumo who went back to polishing his bar counter. _

"_Yeah?"_

"_Get her to eat some food," Mikoto replied. _

_Anna looked over to him at his words. Mikoto seemed to be a bit sullen. Meanwhile, the phone rang and Izumo answered it before going to the back of the bar to sort out lunch that one of his favorite customers pre-ordered. _

"_I'm not hungry," Anna denied and popped the last bit of pudding into her mouth. _

_Mikoto motioned for her to come by crooking a finger at her. _

_She did so warily, and once standing before him while he sat in his bar stool, he reached down and pinched her cheek-hard. _

"_You want to get even more anemic, brat?" he growled and tugged her soft flesh. _

_Anna whimpered in pain and he let her go. She placed a hand over the red mark on her cheek which was still throbbing. She looked up at him and her mouth trembled. _

_She turned away, upset with him. _

_Mikoto frowned. He got up from the chair and gently turned her around to face him. He stooped in front of her and removed her hand from her cheek. He used his own thumb to lightly brush against the fading mark. _

_To his surprise, Anna shoved his hand away angrily. The only physical manifestation of her emotions was the slight narrowing of her eyebrows and the terse line of her lips. Mikoto gave her a surprised look, then glowered at her like an annoyed lion. He caught her thin shoulders in his large hands and jerked her to him so that they were face to face. _

_He glared at her._

_But she was annoyed with Mikoto too._

_She just wanted to be left alone to do whatever she wanted, and not be bothered at all. Yet, he was finding small ways to bug her. She just wanted to be away from him right now. _

_She squirmed, trying to get away. Angrily, he grabbed her wrists and glared at her with golden eyes._

"_What's the matter with you?" he demanded. _

_In response, she struggled and he let her go. She proceeded to turn and run away upstairs, away from him._

_Mikoto stared after her. His already sullen mood blackened. _

_Anna's behavior had been pissing him off since the day before when she had come home where she just seemed to have an air about her that basically said 'don't talk to me'. _

_That stunned Mikoto and he didn't like this uncharacteristic behavior of hers. _

"_It's called PMS, Mikoto. Remember your High School biology," Izumo said behind him. Mikoto turned around. It seemed that Izumo had returned in time to see their interaction. Well, Izumo's words explained everything and because it was something 'girl-related' he figured he shouldn't be angry because he probably wouldn't understand anyway. _

_Later, he was compensated for bearing Anna's anger when she came into his room with a sorry expression on her face when he had just laid down to sleep. He watched her as he lay on his side and she walked toward him. _

_Golden eyes observed as she came to him silently. Once she stood beside him, she lowered her head and kissed his cheek that was exposed to her in an apologetic manner. Her pale hair softly brushed his cheeks and Mikoto lifted a hand and patted her head comfortingly. _

_He was sorry too. _

Fourteen year old Mikoto sighed wearily. Well, at least now he knew what to expect from Anna when next he saw her.

Meanwhile, Natsume made a call. When she hung up, she informed Mikoto, "Anna's in the forest close to the cathedral. If you wander around long enough, you might find her,"

Mikoto hadn't found her, but he had sat down by a tree where he unexpectedly fell asleep only to awaken and catch sight of the pretty white haired girl he had been searching for.

As for Lion-O...well, Lion-O was the bait in case Anna was wary of him.

* * *

Dance class had to finish earlier than expected.

Why?

Because the room had begun to smell putrid.

Why?

Because half the guys smelled putrid.

Why?

Seri did not know, nor did she care as she sprayed air freshener throughout the room. The girls had tried to choke back the scent but Seri could actually see that they were coming close to fainting due to the horrible smell of dirty, sweaty teenage boys.

It was like the aroma of a drain that had not been cleaned in months began to permeate the air! Even Izumo had agreed to end class early.

With the classroom now smelling more flowery, Seri could breathe a sigh of relief. She stood by an open window of the room and felt the cool breeze against her face.

She grunted and rolled her shoulders. Huge breasts were attractive to a large portion of the male population, but they were quite difficult for the owners of them to handle because the weight could cause severe back pains. In her line of work it was also a bit tedious due to the proper postures required in the discipline of sword fighting.

Suddenly a pair of hands came to her shoulders and she immediately froze.

She shot a glare at the man over her back. "Don't touch me so casually," she ordered at Izumo.

Izumo merely smiled and began to massage her shoulders, making her let out an almost pleasurable sound at the feel of his soft hands.

"Now now, Seri-chan, don't be so cold," he murmured softly against her ear. His voice was like silk, almost seductive. She could feel his warm breath on her ear and she almost shivered involuntarily. His hands were gentle, yet they knew where to press.

She gripped the windowsill when he massaged a particular knot and she whimpered. Izumo leaned his long, hard body against her back, making sure that she could feel every hard plane, every hard outline of his torso.

"That's it," he coaxed her, his voice still near her ear.

One hand slipped down to her side, very, very slowly and moved to the front of her blouse where his fingers quickly undid one button stomach and his large hand slid inside.

"W-What are you doing?" she stammered, shocked at the warm feel of his hand on her untouched, smooth skin. It moved to her side, just above her hip and began to apply more gentle pressure there.

"They say that one of the tricks giving a massage is to massage others where you would want to be. So tell me, Seri-chan, is there somewhere special you would like to be massaged?" he whispered and kissed her ear. "somewhere that you're to _embarrassed_ to say?"

His hand that was on her shoulder, slid slowly down her arm and came to rest right under her breast while the other hand slid across to the front of her stomach, smoothly and softly against her pale flesh.

"Izumo, you shouldn't," she tried to tell him as she attempted to regain her senses that were slowly being blown away with the wind.

"Indeed. You should not be touching my clansman," came a very familiar voice.

The two people froze at the sound of Reisi Munakata's voice.

Izumo snorted and released Seri from his hold. He turned around and faced the Blue King fully. "Well, well. I was wondering when we cross paths, Munakata,"

Reisi smirked. "So did I. I hadn't expected Suoh's second to have such a deep interest in my very disciplined lieutenant. I suppose you are trying to pass some of your crass qualities onto her,"

Izumo grinned in reply although there was a strong dislike on the part of the two men. "I should like to think not," He looked over to Seri who was still facing the window, likely blushing madly at being caught by none other than her King. "after all, she's made up of too much ice," He moved to walk past Munakata and paused only to add, "thanks to you." Then, he called over his shoulder, "I'll see you around, Awashima-san!"

Munakata waited for him to go. Seri turned slightly with her arms under her overly large bosom. Her eyes widened at the sight of her king.

"Captain, where are your glasses?" she asked.

Revealed to her was his handsome face. He did have a feminine look about his face, but there was no doubt that he was highly attractive.

"I set them aside and had Fushimi fetch them for me," he responded. That was his way of saying, 'I don't know where they are because I misplaced them'.

Seri turned around again with her back to him.

"What were you doing with that guy from the Red Clan?"

Seri wanted to tell him that it was none of his business, but he was her King and she had to be respectful. Not only that, they were in Seneca for a specific reason and not to fraternize with others and therefore she was required to give an explanation to her boss.

"He was my assistant for today and he noted I was having some back problems so he offered to give me a little massage," Seri replied.

Munakata was silent for a moment. "Are your shoulders still hurting?"

"A bit," she replied. They still had Izumo's touch on them. She could still feel his soft hands on her and the heat of his body pressed against her making her feel so warm and complete.

Munakata was quiet.

To her surprise, she felt his hands on her shoulders.

"Undo the two top buttons of your blouse," he ordered in a softer voice.

Seri froze. She glanced at his handsome face. "What?"

"Do it," he ordered. His eyes were narrowed and very serious but neither cold nor cruel.

She immediately obeyed and he slid his hands into it from her shoulders and pushed it downward slightly so that the sleeves remained off-shoulder. His hands moved over her bare skin and for a moment, Seri thought she was loosing her mind.

Then, he proceeded to massage her where Izumo had, only he had more access to her body because of her compliance to exposing this little portion to him.

However, his hands were more hard, and calloused from his sword use. They touched her a different way.

But it was not unpleasant at all.

"Does this help?" he questioned softly.

Seri nodded and he continued his work.

* * *

Fushimi picked up the set of glasses that had been left behind in the room Anna had told him. The administration had granted himself and the other two members of Scepter 4 access to tea room. It was where they held meetings on the topic of Iwao.

Thus far, they had come up with nothing on the man that could particularly help them in their investigation. As far as they could see, he was as clean as whistle.

Fuhimi sighed. This was so _troublesome_.

He walked out of the room and went ahead to find his King and Vice Captain.

* * *

Seri had been enjoying the massage that Reisi had been giving her, until...

"Is this how you prefer to be touched, Awashima? Do you prefer the calloused hands of a swordfighter to the soft hands of that bartender?" Reisi demanded of Seri.

She stiffened and Reisi spun her around. She was abruptly shoved against the window and suddenly, Reisi's two hands were on either side of her as he bent over her, almost leering at her with his dark eyes.

His handsome face had a look of almost anger in them. "You're a member of the Blue Clan. Don't ever forget it," he warned her.

Seri's mouth dropped open in shock.

Someone cleared their throat behind them. "Erm...not that I'm deliberately intruding, but I brought back your glasses, Captain," came Fushimi's voice.

Reisi turned around to face him fully, effectively blocking Seri from Fushimi's vision, allowing her to quickly fix her clothing.

"Thank you," Reisi said and moved forward when he sensed that Seri had buttoned up her blouse.

Once he accepted the glasses and placed it on his face, a more disciplined atmosphere seemed to come upon him.

"This feels much better," he stated and turned around to look at Seri. "as I was saying, I would advise you to not-" He was cut off by the look of absolute hurt on Seri's face. She covered her mouth and shoved past him, then Fushimi as she hurried away.

I'm only human, she thought to herself as she ignored her own lack of discipline.

Izumo, then her King, was much more than she could take. She did not want to see either one right now.

After all, she was only a woman.

* * *

_**A/N: I had wanted to make up for my lack of updating this past week by giving an extra-long chapter. Unfortunately it became too long and I decided that it would be better enjoyed if I split the chapter. So, God willing, the next chapter should be up soon. I may lag a bit in updating this week and next week as well though and I really do apologize for that.**_

_**Well, what did you think of this chapter? I've read the K drama with Reisi's behavior without his glasses. You can check it out in marchen v friedhof's tumblr. It's stated that it's AU and non-canon so that's one of the reasons why Reisi didn't act like how he did without his glasses in this chapter. Maybe I might mention it in another chapter, I'm not sure as yet. **_

_**It seems that many people ship Anna/Mikoto or Anna/Kei in this story. Okay, I know who she's going to end up with and I had had that planned a long time ago. It could be Mikoto, it could be Kei, maybe another red clansman or another OC. But whoever she ends up with, I hope no one is disappointed.**_

_**I finally got around to putting in the Fushimi and Anna interaction. The person who thank for this is Biabara: Although this person described a somewhat different scenario to me in a review, it was about them having a discussion on Kei which was what stuck in my mind when writing that scene. So thank you, Biabara. You really helped me :)**_

_**This chapter also explained Anna's OOCness...I mean PMS can be really...emotional and I thought it might be interesting to see how Mikoto bears with a highly peeved Anna although the situation might be really weird for him. I think it also shows a growing aspect of Anna because this story is about Anna's growing up and as a girl, she's going to experience stuff like PMS.**_

_**Thank you, all of you who followed, favorited and reviewed this chapter. I appreciate it and you all keep me motivated to write this story. **_

_**For all who reviewed: **_

_**Ambivalencia: Thanks for pointing that out! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and the Anna/Mikoto fluff. Well this chapter explains the OOCness of Anna. Even if she's mature in the head she's still growing and PMS can be a real pain and thus, the name 'Growing Pains'! Get it? :p Hahahaa...oh God what am I doing with my life? Anyway, excuse my randomness. Don't change your username! It's awesome! Yeah, math sucks . But it's important to know :/**_

_**Indochine: Thanks for your concern and for PMing me yesterday! I'm fine, I just had a lot of things going on but I'm alright! Btw, I think this chapter explains Anna's OOCness ;) I haven't actually gotten a chance to read any of the other stories though. I will check them out in good time :) PS: I also checked out the raws. I want my own Kamamoto. Fat or Skinny, as I've mentioned to someone else before, he's still a sweetheart :)**_

_**Shiary: Glad you thought it was interesting and hope you enjoyed this chapter as well :)**_

_**xNightDreamerx: And Anna had gotten hold of her Lion-O again! Maybe...? Lol :) Thanks for pointing out that error. Will fix it soon and glad you liked the previous chapter and that this one was to your liking :)**_

_**Officialcat: Thanks for your lovely words :)**_

_**Keikoku Yuki: I'm glad to know you are enjoying the story :)**_

_**LindyLinn: Sorry I took so long in updating this time. Well, I am armed and ready for your questions! I can't guarantee that I would answer them if they are going to spoil the story for you, but throw them at me anyway! I'm ready ;)**_

_**Bree Renee: Warm Bodies? Never heard of it but will check it out :) I'm glad you were alright with Anna's OOCness and I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the Seri/Izumo and even Seri/Munakata moments. Hm...I guess we have a love triangle and a love square going on...lol :p Thanks for the congrats :)**_

_**mikotos: I'm glad that you really enjoyed those moments in the previous chapter, and I hope you enjoy the ones in this one. **_

_**Hodgeheg: It means a lot to me to know that you liked those parts with Masa. I'm trying to keep this love triangle (or square?) as uncomplicated as possible. Can't say the same for Seri/Izumo/Munakata lol.**_

_**annashina: Sorry for the long wait and I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**_

_**rayncl: Well keep up the good work with your German! My brother tells me that when I get a boyfriend, he will beat him up. And I think to myself, 'who says I'm going to let you know I have one, much less someone weak enough to let you beat him up?' I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter and I hope you enjoyed this one as well :)**_

_**val615: Well I can't say that I've had enough sleep for the last few days but I hope that I will soon! I can't promise a scene like that between Kei and Mikoto but they will have some more interaction :)**_

_**Fishcakes: Thanks so much for those very motivating and lovely words and it really pleases me to know that you like this story so much :) Sorry for the long wait with this chapter but I really hope that you enjoyed it :)**_

_**D: I hope that means you laughed at the students' nickname for Seri :D Unrequited love sucks...I know how it feels :/ Hope you enjoyed the Seri/Izumo parts in this chapter :)**_

_**nannerlovessnickers: I'm glad you liked that line!**_

_**kp: Thanks for your kind words, they meant a lot to me, and Lion-O will certainly make another appearance :)**_

_**Titania: Hm...what will be Lion-O's fate? o.O**_

_**ladeste: Well, there was Fushimi in this chapter! I know he's no Yata, but I hope you liked him all the same, and the little appearance of Yata in the flashback :)**_

_**ellywhite: Hahaha I'm not a fan of shonen-ai but who knows who will end up with who? Well I know, and you will too! But not anytime soon though. Lol. Hope you keep enjoying the chapters until this story ends (which only God knows when because there's so much more to come!).**_

_**Ihadyprilla: I guess he really is quite a bit older since he's 13 years older than Anna :)**_

_**IzzatiNoKitsune: Well, this chapter had your Seri/Izumo/Reisi moment! I'm so glad to know you liked the previous chapter and I hope you enjoyed this one too :)**_

_**Nobody Special: Hello my special reviewer! I can't say for sure that Masa will reappear but I don't think he will be so troublesome again! Maybe he will, maybe he won't. I'm glad that you thought the last chapter was fun to read :)**_

_**little weirdo: Your username just makes me smile :) I hope things in school are going more smoothly for you! Well, Lion-O is with Anna again...for now? Lol :)**_

_**Mienchan-ish: It is actually pretty hard to choose between those two. Haahaha you're definitely right about an angry Mikoto being a hot one :p **_

_**iCooky: Glad you liked the gang Mikoto unwittingly formed! Well, Izumo didn't defend her because he didn't hear her being called that. Well, now you understand why Anna behaved the way she did. You got a copy of K: Side Red? Awesome! Enjoy and let me know how you're enjoying it :)**_

_**Shinigamichick39: Thanks for all your reviews and I'm so happy to know you like this story :) **_

_**Arius the Heretic: That's good to know you have a friend with you going to the same college. I guess the hardest part about leaving school is knowing that things aren't going to be the same because you won't be in the same environment with the same people you spent a long time with. But you will have new experiences and meet new people and I think you really will like college life :)**_

_**SomeReviewer: So far, Lion-O has not been hurt :) Munakata has made an appearance Yata in only a flashback-and Fushimi's thoughts. I really did try to make Masa a complete douchebag. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. **_

_**Owlgirl98: Thanks! **_

_**Nevertheless: Aww...thanks for your kind words! They make my heart feel fluffy and good so I don't think fluff can be that bad! Lol :p Thanks for your lovely words :)**_

_**RandomReader: Hello again, and thanks for your review! I'm glad to know that you enjoy how the story is going and I hope you continue to do so :)**_

_**Thanks again for all the lovely reviews. I truly appreciated them.  
**_

_**Let me know what you thought about this chapter.**_

_**God bless :)**_


	35. What Yata Saw

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

**_A/N: Happy Belated Valentine's Day!_**

**_Just a forewarning so that no one is too disappointed, there is no Seri, Izumo or Reisi in this chapter. Sorry :/_**

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 35: What Yata Saw

Yata walked through the halls of the High School. Thus far, he had come across students who had paired off into couples and unabashedly showed each other affection. It made him cringe and wonder why these brats were bothering with things like 'love' and 'romance' when they should be studying instead.

"Mikoto-san isn't like that," Yata muttered to himself as he approached the gym. He had never seen his king get all cozy with some girl. Then, he paused.

That actually wasn't true. Although Mikoto did not have a girlfriend, he actually was quite affectionate to one person, and that person was Anna.

He _did_ tend to use Izumo's shoulder as a resting place if he was sitting on the couch, but that was about it. Over the years, Mikoto and Anna's relationship didn't exactly change in abrupt intervals, it was more like an almost warm evolution of their relationship. It had started out with the King having compassion for the tortured child. In some way, there was some sort of suffering that the two shared that the other members of Homra could not understand; it had to do with controlling their power so that it did not spill out and hurt others.

When Anna became Mikoto's clansman, their relationship had been...sweet and strangely refreshing, and occasionally amusing at Mikoto's expense. It was because it was always so odd to see a rough, tough, scary, frightening man like Mikoto, someone who could be called a 'terrifying beast' walk around with a small, adorable, doll-like child at his side. She was graceful as he was rugged and she was prim as he was totally unrefined.

Watching them at that time was like watching a lion who had gotten a strange toy and didn't know what to do with it, yet accepted that it was there.

He never pushed her away when she clung to his clothes and he never told her to go away when she desired to be near him. Hell, he even let her sleep beside him even when she got her own room. Izumo had originally managed to get her to reduce her frequency of sleeping in Mikoto's bed, but the incident with the Rise had somehow made her cling to him even more, and to a large extent, made him return that attachment. When Anna gave him bits of affection with her kisses on his cheeks, something seemed to completely soothe him.

Yata, for all his ignorance did understand this.

However, he had expected that Mikoto would show Anna the same face that he showed everyone else: bored, sleepy or grumpy.

But that wasn't so.

It wasn't as though Yata was jealous of Anna in anyway. There was no way he could claim that he envied the girl. Yet, there were times when he felt...vexed in some kind of way by the way Mikoto treated her so differently from everyone else.

Mikoto's relationship with each member of his clan was certainly unique with each person, but with Anna it was...too much _un_like the others. Well, Anna was very much unlike everyone else in the first place as she was a strain, a girl, and very young.

Yata didn't expect to sleep in the same bed as Mikoto-san. He didn't expect to be allowed to clutch his clothes the way Anna did.

However, he witnessed how Mikoto would put Anna first and protect her like she was the most precious thing to him in the world.

Yata often felt a bit..._put out_ whenever he came to Homra to give some exciting news to Mikoto, only to be told by Izumo, _"Anna came home today so they're both napping upstairs and would not wish to be disturbed," _

Or those occasions when Anna returned home earlier than expected and interrupted Yata's conversation with Mikoto to hug her King tightly. Yata would see a type of tenderness in the King's eyes he did not see him look at anyone else, except Anna with.

On the surface, it looked like Mikoto was very ignorant of Anna and rarely spoke or looked at her unless she spoke or looked at him, while Anna seemed like a clingy child. However, Yata had spent enough time at Homra to know and see for himself that their relationship was very deep and aside from the incident with the Rise, it seemed that ever since Tatara had died, those two had begun to hold onto each other more and more.

Yata felt a bit saddened when he recalled his wonderful comrade who had died. The King's prankster had undeniably doted upon the princess of their clan because he loved her and the king very much and understood that somehow, the two needed each other.

* * *

"_Eh? Totsuka-san, what are you doing with Anna?" Yata asked as their slim, handsome friend was walking with seven year old Anna in his arms. He was holding her closely and the little one's arms were around his neck, hugging him tightly. _

_Totsuka smiled and placed a finger over his lips, indicating that Yata should be quiet. _

_Yata was confused but when he glanced at Anna's face, he saw that it was paper white and her lips were pinched tightly as if she was very afraid._

_She had obviously been sleeping before and Totsuka must have gone to check on her, only to discover her shivering from a nightmare. _

_Yata, curious to know what Totsuka was planning to do with the child, followed him into the living room where Mikoto was lying on the couch with one arm over his eyes. Totsuka walked over to Mikoto and cautiously tapped his shoulder. He did not want to startle the King too much._

_Mikoto slowly lowered his arm while Totsuka set Anna on top of Mikoto so that she was sitting on his hard stomach. _

_Mikoto stiffened at the little body on top of his, but did not push her away when she immediately lay down on his chest settled herself against him. She lay her pale cheek against his white shirt and her tiny hands fisted into its material. Only then did her expression relax somewhat. _

_It seemed that their usually grumpy, sleepy King understood Anna's need for comfort for he placed a large hand on her back and gently rubbed it. _

_He didn't say anything at all. _

_Yata had been surprised at the sight and he somehow got the impression that this was not the first time his King had been called upon to show such compassion to the child. _

_Totsuka moved over to Yata's side. "It's a really pitiful sight to see one so young suffer so much," the fair headed young man murmured to his comrade._

_Yata nodded for he knew that Totsuka was referring to Anna and her nightmares and how much she had seen and experienced in her life. It was so much for her to bear and sometimes all she really needed was Mikoto, simply because he was strong and she would know because of his strength, that she was protected, and she would be alright. _

_A little while later, Tatara suggested that Yata take Anna to watch television so he approached the pair on the couch almost hesitantly. Neither of the two looked at him so Yata stooped about a foot away and said quietly to Anna, "Hey, you wanna watch some cartoons with me?"_

_Anna, at that time, was not really close to Yata but she knew he was not a bad person. So, she nodded and lifted herself from Mikoto. _

_Mikoto removed his hand while Anna held out hers to Yata, expecting him to help her up. _

_The chestnut haired teenager was not used to girls, but he warily lifted her under her arms and took her from Mikoto. After he set her on her feet, he led her to the bar which was currently closed to customers and had Izumo switch the channel to one which showed Pucca, thus beginning Yata and Anna's mutual love for the funny cartoon._

* * *

As Yata thought about his little female comrade, he remembered that without trying, she was a very lovely child and made the clan of rough, rugged, fight-loving men of Homra melt.

Like on Valentine's Day which had also been Tatara's birthday.

"_What are you two doing?" Yata questioned when he walked into the kitchen to see 10 year old Anna standing on a stool to give her the height to stir something in a black pot on the stove with a wooden spoon. _

_Izumo, keeping a keen eye on her actions, answered with a grin. "It's Valentine's Day and Anna wanted to do something nice for Tatara as it's his birthday as well. We're making chocolates,"_

"_You could have just bought some. He would have appreciated those anyway," Yata pointed out. _

"_Ah Yata-chan, you clearly do not comprehend what it means to have a young woman actually make you chocolates, as opposed to her buying them! I suppose it's understandable since you've never had a girlfriend,"_

_Yata, despite the deep respect he had for Izumo, narrowed his eyes while an angry flush marred his cheeks. "My single life has nothing to do with this! And what about you, Kusanagi-san? When was the last time **you** got chocolates for Valentine's Day?"_

_In reply, Izumo nodded to the table in the kitchen where it was laden with several gifts of many varieties of liquor filled chocolate. It seemed that he was well-liked by some of his female patrons. _

_Yata's mouth dropped open in shock while Kamamoto entered the room, munching on his own armful of chocolate. _

"_Even you, Kamamoto-san?" he demanded. Then, he looked thoughtful. "Nah, no girl is gonna give you chocolate. You just went out and bought that for yourself."_

_Kamamoto chuckled. "These were the ones Anna made last night and wasn't pleased with. I'm finishing them off because we can't waste it and it isn't bad tasting. Want a bite?" Kamamoto offered. _

"_No I don't, you fatty!" Yata snapped. He was a bit peeved because no girl ever really gave him handmade chocolates-even rejected ones. _

_Kamamoto shrugged, not really bothered by Yata's bad mood. _

"_Tatara...will be happy. He will be warmer," Anna said softly as she continued to stir the chocolate in the pot. _

_Somehow, Anna's words made Yata feel like he shouldn't grumble at all and should probably try to be a little useful. _

"_Eh...do you...want me to help?" he tentatively offered._

_Anna, with eyes never leaving the pot, shook her head._

_Much later, at Tatara's birthday party, most of the members of Homra were present._

_The only person missing was Dewa. _

"_How does it feel, Chitose-kun, to know that your dear friend has a date for Valentine's Day and you don't?" Tatara asked him._

_Chitose glanced at him and said, "Your words wound me deeply, Totsuka-san. Aren't you pleased that I chose to spend this day of hearts and chocolate with you? Am I not a better person than Dewa because I chose my deep bonds with my clansmen over a date? Unlike Dewa?"_

_Anna passed by them, carrying a pretty, shiny red bag and said without looking at Chitose, "No one wanted to spend Valentine's Day with a player,"_

_Totsuka chuckled while Chitose was aghast by her words. _

_Izumo, overhearing her as he poured a beer into a tall mug questioned, "Do you even know what a player is, Anna?"_

_Anna looked at him and blinked innocently. "A person who likes to play games?"_

_"Do you know what kind of games?"_

_Anna paused and she narrowed her eyes slightly, as if thinking hard. Suddenly, her expression relaxed. "Shogi?"_

_Izumo turned away quickly and covered his mouth to muffle his shout of laughter. _

_"Izumo?"_

_He sobered up quickly and returned his attention to her. "I take it that Dewa was the one who told you this?"_

_Anna nodded. "He said that Chitose was a player who played with too many girls and the other girls didn't like when he played games so no one wanted to be his Valentine,"_

_Totsuka started to laugh. He looked at Chitose. "So you couldn't charm your way into a date!"_

_"Well...at least I still got some chocolate for Valentine's Day! You're only getting gifts because it's your birthday!" Chitose shot at Totsuka. Chitose's flirtatious ways had still earned him some delightful chocolates from a few admirers._

_Meanwhile, Anna held the red bag out to Totsuka. _

_Shyly, she told him, "Happy Birthday,"_

"_See?" Chitose pointed out, grinning for he truly he believed that he was right._

_Totsuka ignored him and hugged Anna. "Anna, you are such a good child. Thank you!"_

_When he let her go, he opened the contents of the bag. "Handmade chocolates! Did you do this by yourself?"_

_Chitose's mouth dropped open, and Yata, who had been observing the scene, grinned. He loved it when Chitose ended up eating humble pie because sometimes, his arrogant attitude could become pretty annoying. Especially when he behaved high handed because he slept around with women while most of the other members who frequented Izumo's bar did not. _

"_How many of yours were handmade?" Yata questioned Chitose._

"_All of them!" Chitose growled. _

"_Ah, but none of them have the sweet innocence of a delightful child such as our little Anna!" Totsuka remarked, to which Chitose gave him a deep glare._

"_Izumo helped me," Anna responded to Totsuka's earlier question. _

"_They look yummy. I want to try one right now,"_

_Chitose, began to drink deeply from his glass of beer that Izumo had served him. Anna, noting how dejected he looked, tugged on his shirt to get his attention. He looked at her with a somewhat depressed expression._

_The white haired child was looking up at him with her large grey eyes and complete innocence. Dressed in her usual red and black dress with her hat tilted at her side, she looked rather adorable, especially with a woven basket under her arm. _

"_Anna?" _

_She held out something to him. It was something in a very small red box. _

_Warily, Chitose opened it and found a truffle in it. Behind the counter, Izumo explained, "Anna felt that she should make everyone some chocolate, even if it isn't much. She tried really hard, you know,"_

_Chitose smiled warmly at Anna and patted her head. "Thank you,"_

_She nodded and moved to Yata next. Yata hesitated but took the red box she held out to him. She blinked wide eyes up at him and looked so innocent and cute that it made Yata think about how out of place she looked among the crude members of Homra._

_However, he accepted his chocolate and almost blushed. He didn't mind at all that the first handmade chocolates he ever received came from Anna. _

"_Anna is everyone's valentine this year!" Totsuka announced as he opened his large red box of truffles that had been in the bag. _

"_Except Dewa! How neglectful of him to reject this lovely child in favor of some old witch!" Chitose agreed._

"_Today is SAD," Anna said. _

_Everyone turned to her. "How can it be sad, Anna? It's Totsuka-san's birthday," Kamamoto pointed out when he accepted his chocolate from her. _

"_Singleness Awareness Day," Anna explained as she moved on to Fujishima._

"_Where did you learn that from?" Chitose demanded. _

"_Dewa said that today was SAD day for Chitose," Anna responded without a single change to her expression._

_Chitose let out an exasperated noise while the others laughed and ended up eating Anna's chocolate with sour expression on. Chitose made a mental note to make Dewa feel his fists when he got home. _

_The chocolate really did taste lovely and everyone envied Totsuka because he got the most._

_Even more than Mikoto who had received a box that probably had three as opposed to one like the others. He had only just come downstairs so he didn't really know what was going on. _

_He had been sitting next to Totsuka who was enjoying his when Anna shyly handed it to him. He accepted it unthinkingly because he probably didn't even know it was Valentine's Day. _

_He looked at his box with a confused expression, then at Totsuka. "Yours is bigger," he commented._

_Totsuka grinned. "Are you jealous, King?"_

_Mikoto tsked in annoyance. "Of course not,"_

_"Well, I got more because it's my birthday," Totsuka explained. _

"_Huh? Then how come I got a gift too?"_

_Izumo spoke then, "How shameless. You don't even remember your good friend's birthday is the same day as Valentine's,"_

_Totsuka laughed. "He probably remembers, he just doesn't know today's date! Right, King?"_

_Mikoto said nothing. It was true and he opened his chocolates and ate them anyway. _

_White Day, a month later, Anna received much more chocolates from everyone than she had even given. From Mikoto, it was expected that she would be given nothing because he was never really expected to remember when White Day was (or if there was even such a thing). However, he had given her a red ribbon that she cherished more than even the huge pile of chocolate she had received from everyone else. _

_Except the puppy that Fujishima had wanted to give her but Izumo threatened to toss out-**with** Fujishima if he didn't return it to the pet store._

* * *

Yata mused about how strange Anna and Mikoto's relationship had become of late. He had noticed that there was always this lion plushie that Anna carried with her. Izumo had been the one to tell Yata that Mikoto had given it to Anna because they had seen it in a showcase window and she had liked it.

That explained why Anna liked it so much, aside from the fact that it had red hair that stuck up like Mikoto's. What he did not understand was Mikoto's strange reactions to the toy. Sometimes when Yata came to Homra, he would find Mikoto hugging the thing as he slept on the couch.

However, if he was awake, he would shove it some far corner of the couch, away from his sight as if he hated it.

What baffled him even more was a strange incident between Anna and Mikoto that he had witnessed just a few weeks ago:

_It had been a rainy day. A good day to curl up in one's bad with a warm blanket, warm milk and a nice television show. Unfortunately, Yata had promised Izumo that he would come by and help him out at the bar as his recent spot in the limelight attracted several customers to the bar for they knew that the great skateboarder was good friends with the owner of the bar._

_Upon entry into the living room, Yata saw Anna standing by the couch, beside Mikoto. Yata had a wide enough vision to see that she was bending over Mikoto and trying to wrangle something away from him._

_It was her precious plushie. _

_Mikoto was lying on his back with one arm behind his head. The other was wrapped around the toy, almost crushing it to his chest. _

_Anna grunted as she tried to get it away from Mikoto. Anna looked like a rabbit trying to struggle out some root vegetable that was stuck in the corner of a heavy tree trunk. It was almost...amusing._

_What Yata didn't understand was why Mikoto just didn't give her the toy because Yata was quite sure the King was awake. _

_Anna, fed up, tugged at Mikoto's shoulder. "I want Lion-O," she grumbled._

_In return, Mikoto merely replied, "No,"_

"_But-"_

"_You didn't eat your lunch," _

"_I wasn't hungry-"_

"_If you eat your lunch, I will give him back to you," Mikoto told her._

_Anna stepped back from Mikoto. "I will not eat because I am not hungry,"_

_Although her expression remained neutral, there was a firmness in her voice and a certain kind of hardness in her eyes that indicated that she was **not** happy. _

_Mikoto narrowed his eyes. He was clearly not pleased at all because her behavior suggested a type of defiance that he was not used to from her._

"_Go to your room," he ordered._

_Anna seemed momentarily shocked. Even Yata was. Mikoto actually ordered Anna to do something?In fact, he had actually displayed some aggravation toward Anna?_

_Anna spun on her heel and obeyed Mikoto. After all, he was her King._

_Mikoto sighed. "Anna, come back here," he called her back as he sat up. _

_She turned around and returned to him. He was leaning against the couch with his arms folded. He gave her a long hard look. She watched him back, but seemingly not with such a strong gaze as his. If anything, she seemed wary and uncertain about what he wanted._

_Mikoto sighed again and lowered his arms. He beckoned her closer and once she was, her face had an innocent look on it. _

_And just like that, it seemed that the two made up because Mikoto's forehead was pressing against hers as he said gruffly, "You're anemic and you know it. Try to take better care of yourself," _

_Anna nodded shyly when he drew back. He handed her the toy which she accepted and hugged to her._

"_I will eat...if Mikoto eats with me," she told him._

_He nodded and stood up. She took hold of the ends of his jacket and walked with him out the living room, past Yata and into the bar where Izumo would serve them._

_Yata watched after them, confused by the scene. _

"_Did those two just have an argument?" he wondered aloud._

* * *

Yata tsked. Well, that wasn't just the _only_ weird incident he had come across with Anna, Mikoto and that little stuffed toy of Anna's; some time ago, they had gotten a dangerous bounty hunting case and Izumo had sent Yata upstairs to wake Mikoto and tell him that they were getting ready to leave.

Upon the opening of the door to Mikoto's room, Yata had been shocked at the scene:

_Through the door, Yata saw Anna sleeping on her side, facing away from Mikoto. Mikoto stirred and opened his eyes. He sat up and ran a hand over his face before glancing over at Anna. Yata had been shocked to see the annoyed expression on the King's face. _

_It made Yata wonder if he was angry at Anna for sleeping in his bed. _

_Yata held his breath when Mikoto reached a large hand over to Anna. He expected him to shake the girl away and send her to her own room._

_However, Mikoto merely pried something from her. _

_It was that stuffed toy again that Anna had developed some strange attachment to, and Mikoto had some dislike for._

_Anna made a soft noise and opened her eyes. She seemed to note her missing item and sat up. She turned to Mikoto, rubbing her eyes. Yata noted that Anna's hair had become unbelievably long, and her face was thinning out a bit. Even her dark eyelashes seemed thicker and darker on her face. She was becoming very beautiful._

_She was sitting next to Mikoto in the same bed, and Mikoto himself was quite handsome with fiery red hair and golden eyes. The two made such an attractive pair and it made Yata feel a little uncomfortable to know that Anna still stayed in the same bed as Mikoto. However, he also understood that the bond those two had transcended social norms and in some way, they truly needed each other, for when Anna was away at school, Mikoto was grumpy and miserable and would glare at them when he got cranky as if to say, "Shut up and leave me alone!"_

_When she was home, he was calm and interacted more with everyone. He was more...peaceful. _

_Yata's expression became surprised at the scene that unfolded before him: Anna reached out to take her Lion-O but Mikoto hugged it to him and turned away from her. She made a noise in her throat, indicating that she was not pleased and went on to shake his long arm when he lay down on his side, holding the little animal. _

_Peeved, Anna climbed from the bed. She was wearing on a blood red nightgown with thick straps. It fell to her ankles. As for her hair, sleep had given the alabaster silk a slight wave that shimmered in the light. Yata could see that her hair was well past her waist and was actually to her thighs now! From what he understood, Izumo refused to let her cut it, and therefore that was the reason for its length. _

_Anna, meanwhile, tried to wrestle the toy from the large man. Of course that proved to be futile, but Yata gave her points for actually trying. _

"_Mikoto," Anna said his name. There was a very slight note of exasperation in her tone._

_Yata became stunned when Mikoto grabbed Anna by the back of her dress and dropped her on top of him as he moved to lie on his back. He then took the lion plushie and shoved it under a nearby pillow while one of his arms went around her to force her to lie on his chest. Once the plushie was safely tucked away, Mikoto moved them both to lie on their sides and hugged Anna to him. _

_She attempted to struggle against him._

_She was pushed again, this time onto her back and Yata could only make out her little feet while Mikoto's entire upper body covered hers so that Yata could only make out his white t-shirt which clad to his torso and hid the rest of Anna, save for a little peek of her pale hair which showed just above Mikoto's shoulder. _

_Mikoto's red head lowered and for a moment, Yata was disturbed, because he thought Mikoto was kissing her!_

_However, it turned out that Mikoto was actually rubbing his nose affectionately against Anna's hair. That made Yata realize that Mikoto never liked it when he rubbed his cheek again her hair in the same spot. Yata had never understood why Mikoto would become aggravated over that since it wasn't like the King had a problem with him touching her because he didn't mind if Yata hugged her, it was only when he touched that particular spot that Mikoto became irritated._

_Anna seemed to struggle again against Mikoto, but he pinned her down by holding both her small wrists in large hands on either side of her head. Suddenly, her movements became sluggish and she abruptly stopped. Mikoto suddenly released her and straightened. Due to his back being turned to him, Yata could not make out his King's expression. _

_Mikoto suddenly looked at Yata over his shoulder, surprising the young man. Yata felt as though he had witnessed something intimate and private and was ashamed for watching them. Mikoto didn't seem angry though, he just gave Yata a look that seemed to indicate that he should be quiet. _

_Then, silently, almost tenderly, Mikoto covered Anna with his blanket and tucked it safely around her. _

_He then moved from the bed, searched for a cigarette and lit it as he walked through the door. Yata stepped back and allowed his King room. Mikoto shut the door, hiding from their vision, the young girl who was sleeping in Mikoto's bed. _

_Yata and Mikoto wordlessly went back downstairs, just in time for Maria to arrive with Chitose. _

_Much later, after they did their round of bounty hunting, Yata relayed the story to Izumo while Mikoto was upstairs again. _

"_Have you ever seen the behavior of lions in a pride, Yata-chan?" Izumo asked. _

_Yata frowned. "Only in those animal documentaries Fujishima insists on watching,"_

_Izumo picked up a glass and proceeded to polish it behind his bar's counter. "What did you think when you saw Anna and Mikoto?"_

"_That it was shocking and surprising...and that Mikoto was kind of being...I don't know...playful?"_

_Izumo smiled. "He was, wasn't he? That's how the leader of a pride of lions is toward the younger ones. They tend to be a bit playful with them, and they can also exercise dominance and force them to behave themselves,"_

_Yata seemed deep in thought. "But Anna wasn't misbehaving. And she isn't really like a cub either...she's more like a little rabbit,"_

_Izumo grinned. "Anna isn't a naughty child. She's very well behaved but Mikoto didn't want her to come along today because it was extra dangerous for Anna. He isn't one to normally restrict Anna any freedoms but the guys we were dealing with are from a ring that traffics pre-adolescents around Anna's age. He would never take her there, not because we can't protect her but because he didn't want her to witness the sight of children her age who have been sexually abused. He didn't tell her anything about it so that she wouldn't ask and try to persuade him anyway, but I think she suspected it. That's why she struggled with him and that's why he got her to sleep,"_

_Yata's eyebrows rose. "Got her to sleep?"_

_Izumo nodded. "Yeah, I didn't really realize it until one day I saw him nuzzling her hair on when they were sleeping on the divan upstairs. It seems to make Anna sleepy,"_

_And Mikoto was possessive of that spot he nuzzled...like a lion. _

"_As for Anna being like a rabbit, she is. She struggles when he's being too forceful, but settles down once he becomes gentler. Just like a rabbit,"_

_She really had done so. Yata could picture the scene in his mind again, only Mikoto was this big red maned lion, and Anna was like a cute, fluffy, grey eyed rabbit. The lion had caught hold of the rabbit with its big paw and was pulling it toward him, while the little rabbit, startled at his sudden forcefulness, tried to get away. However, once the lion started to nuzzle and cuddle the rabbit affectionately, it settled down and accepted him. _

"_They have a strange relationship ya know," Yata muttered. _

_Izumo made a noise of agreement. "But they need each other. Very much. Especially Mikoto,"_

* * *

Yata had seen a completely different side to his king that day. He had seen Mikoto press his forehead against Anna's, and had even seen him kiss her cheek once or twice but this was the first time he had been so blatantly tender to her. He had been so...loving and the atmosphere had been warm and soothing.

It was in that way, Yata was _almost_ jealous. It wasn't because he expected Mikoto to hug him and cuddle him the way he did to Anna, but it was because she was so _special_ to him. Yata sighed and thought to himself, 'Anna is special to everyone'.

He figured that he needed to compromise himself. He hero-worshipped his King, and he cared for Anna like a little sister. They were both very important to him and he was coming to accept that he shouldn't get so upset by Mikoto's favor of their female clansman for there was obviously something about her that made Mikoto care so much for her, and if Mikoto felt this way about her, then Yata, as a loyal clansman, had to accept that as well.

Yata was thinking all of this as he packed away some equipment that had been used in PE the day before. He hadn't seen Fushimi since the incident the other day when the girls had crowded around him. Yata, personally did want to see his former friend and he wanted for them to compete in something. He actually found it odd that the monkey had not searched him out yet.

As if on cue, a familiar sadistic voice called out, "Misakiiiii!"

Yata would not admit it, but his heart jumped in anticipation.

He slowly lifted his head and looked at his friend from over his shoulder.

"Saruhiko, what do you want?" he demanded.

Fushimi, dressed in the proper attire of the school uniform had his crazy smile on. "So the great Yatagarasu is demoted to cleaning up the High School,"

Yata tsked in annoyance. "Screw you! This is the job of the assistant coach!"

Fushimi smirked. "But that certainly can't compare to all your other achievements, Misaki," he pointed out as he approached Yata.

The two men were on the verge of releasing their auras.

"You probably forgot what it was like to fight when you became a big skateboarder!"

Yata reached inside the bin that had all the sports equipment and pulled out his bat.

"Say that again, Saru," he ordered lowly.

Fushimi laughed wildly. "Come at me, Misaki! Show me how much you've improved!"

Yata, egged on, ran toward Fushimi with his bat in the air.

"What are you two doing?" demanded a strong female voice.

The two men paused and their auras immediately vanished at the sight of a pair of female students. One of which was familiar to them both.

"Yata-sensei, what are you and Fushimi-san doing?" Emi Kyou asked nervously as she looked from one to the other.

Yata swallowed hard. He did not know what to say.

Fushimi, on the other hand, watched the other girl beside her. This girl had shoulder length auburn hair. Her eyes were the same color and she was quite pretty...despite the stern expression on her face.

"I am the Head of the Disciplinary Committee and I demand an explanation now!" she ordered.

Fushimi tsked in annoyance at her. "You silly brat. It isn't your business what a sensei and a student are discussing,"

"It is when you look like you're about to fight!"

Fushimi smirked and walked up to her, but the girl watched him back defiantly.

"You're that new boy," she stated with narrowed eyes.

Fushimi shrugged off her comment. "Show me somewhere in your student handbook that says that my interaction with Yata-_sensei_," he sneered out the 'sensei' part, "is any of your business."

"I, Chie Izumi, pride myself on my ability to speak the student handbook of Seneca High School straight from my mind and based on Rule 61 that goes in accordance with accommodation of new teachers, it is required that I ensure that you were not _bullying_ the new teacher,"

Fushimi snickered at that while Yata's face flamed with anger.

"I was not being _bullied_! What part of that looked like being _bullied_?" he shouted.

Emi, afraid of his anger, gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Please, Yata-sensei, don't be mad at Chie-chan. She's just concerned,"

Fushimi glanced over at Emi, then at Chie. Abruptly, he bent over her and she automatically drew back and gazed up at the glasses-clad face of Saruhiko Fushimi. He gave one of sadistic grins then.

"Chie-chan, huh? You seem to be rather strong willed,"

Chie gave him a suspicious look but he continued grinning. "I wonder what it would take to _break_ you,"

Chie gasped while Emi and Yata were stunned.

"S-Sensei, aren't you going to say anything? He's threatened her!" Emi exclaimed.

"I know what he's done!" Yata snapped, but not at her. He was glaring at Fushimi's back. "Be nicer to girls!" Yata shouted as Fushimi began to walk away.

Fushimi called over his shoulder. "Then you try to be more confident around them!"

Yata was clearly flustered. He didn't know what to say, but he couldn't let Fushimi get away with starting a fight and giving an underlying threat to a student.

"Fushimi Saruhiko, you have detention!" Yata stated.

Saruhiko stopped. He turned around slowly. "I have..._detention_?"

He was obviously surprised.

Yata walked up to him with his hands in his pockets. He nodded as he looked up at his former comrade. "I came here as a teacher, you came here as _student_," he emphasized. "you have to obey me."

Fushimi gave him a long, hard glare before he cursed and turned away, walking off, muttering to himself. Had they been alone, Fushimi would not have accepted Yata's command at all. However, he was obligated to follow his king's command and not cause a ruckus in the school that could hinder the investigation by having Iwao find out that members of the Red and Blue clan were here. So, Fushimi accepted this...for now.

"Thank you, sensei," Chie said gratefully.

Yata gave a slight nod as his eyes remained focused on Fushimi.

Maybe he should feel glad that he had some authority over his former friend.

Truly, he wasn't happy at all. He would rather that they remain equals and fight as equals. He had no desire to shove anyone underfoot.

"Watch out for that guy," Yata told her before he turned to Emi. She was giving him one of her very beautiful smiles that lit up her face. Yata turned away quickly, his cheeks slightly red. "Erm...go back to your classes, the both of you!"

Then, he hurried off.

Emi and Chie gazed after him.

Emi turned to her friend. "Yata-sensei is really nice, isn't he?"

Chie frowned. "He's not the troublesome one here. It's that other guy...Fushimi Saruhiko,"

Emi, however, seemed a bit doubtful. She was quite sure that separately, Yata-sensei and Saruhiko-san were alright, but together, they were probably like two chemicals, when paired together would be highly combustible.

* * *

Anna was dreaming of a long ago dream when she had been giving out Valentine's Day chocolates to everyone and receiving hugs from them all, particularly a special friend whose birthday was on the same day.

After Totsuka's death, Anna, like everyone else at Homra, pretended that the day didn't exist within the bar for it simply brought on memories of a time they could not go back to, no matter how desperately they wished that they could.

Anna opened her eyes from a vague dream she could barely recall. She was warm right now and cuddled up cozily against a hard and somewhat familiar object.

Stirring like a kitten, she sat up and her head bumped something from on top. Startled, she drew back and looked up to meet Mikoto's golden eyes. She blinked at him.

His expression didn't change.

Apparently, he sitting against the tree again, with her between his legs and leaning on her side against him so that her head was tucked safely under his chin and her cheek was buried against the soft material of his school shirt.

His leg arms were bracketed around her and his legs were outstretched around hers, barring her, save for one that was slightly drawn up and crooked at the knee.

Anna looked around for her Lion-O and was surprised to still see him in her arms. She looked at Mikoto again.

He sighed.

"I remember him...sort of," Mikoto explained. He actually remembered quite a lot about the stupid plushie Anna insisted on always keeping with her. He also understood that for the amount time that the thing stayed in his bed, sometimes cuddled with him, it had absorbed his scent and that was why it 'smelled like a man' as he had accused it of being earlier that day.

In other words, in smelled like him and he hadn't realized it.

Even if the darn thing served as a reminder and comfort to Anna when he was not there, it did not mean that Mikoto loved it. Well, he did secretly like it enough to consider it a temporary substitute for Anna to nap with, but that was about it.

It was also what he used to bait and blackmail her into doing something she didn't like doing-like eating.

Anna, meanwhile, lowered her eyes, ashamed. Mikoto must have felt really badly for him to bring back Lion-O to her, and that was probably his way of apologizing to her as well. Of course he would not admit that to her, but she knew.

Anna moved back a little so that she was kneeling and looking quite contrite before him. Her long, long white hair fell down the sides of her face and her eyes were lowered, barely showing due to those thick, doll-like eyelashes of hers. Her skin was like porcelain that was stained with the scarlet red of a blush along her cheeks.

"Mikoto, I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely.

She tilted her head to the side and blinked her eyes at him when he did not say anything, but continued to look at her silently. Abruptly, he moved and he removed the scarf she had placed on him from himself and began wrapping it around her.

"If you're going to get angry, at least put on something warm," he chided her as he drew her back against the hard wall of his chest and wrapped his arms around her, locking her against him. He released some of his aura and then lay his chin on top her head, ensuring that she was completely surrounded by him and immersed in the toasty warmth that he could give her.

"Thank you," she whispered and tucked her head into the crook of his warm neck. They stayed like that for a long moment before Anna spoke, "If you want me to stop talking to Kei, I will,"

Mikoto sighed. She had pointed out a few things to him that he hadn't thought about before, and it made him wonder if it was his jealousy and the fact that the guy looked like Tatara that clouded his judgement.

After all, Anna did have secrets and it would not be fair to accuse him of hiding up parts of himself when Anna herself did the same. Anna also was not a bad judge of character and Mikoto suspected that she had never deliberately used her power on either Kei or Akemi because she probably felt no need to do so because she wanted them to be her friends based on the trust she put in them, and not because of the privacy she would have invaded to find out.

"You got angry, Anna. What's so special about him that you would loose your temper for him?" Mikoto asked.

Anna lifted her head from his neck and turned it so that she could peer up at him. "Because he's my friend. My very first friend who I got on my own. He's funny and stupid and I like being around him,"

In other words, he created a very light hearted feel and Mikoto suspected that if he fought with the other girl that often then they created an atmosphere similar to that of the members of Homra who also fought over silly things quite often. In a way, those two friends of hers had made her homely feel she got from Homra.

Mikoto remained quiet for a minute, then asked her, "Do you like him?"

"He's my friend,"

"I mean as more than a friend,"

Anna blinked up at him. "More than a friend?" she repeated.

He nodded. Anna's eyes narrowed slightly, as if she was thinking hard. "He isn't red or warm like Mikoto, so no," she replied with complete honesty.

Mikoto almost smiled at her unwitting compliment. "And if he was red and warm like me?"

"He isn't Mikoto," Anna responded.

Mikoto snorted. His relationship with Anna had always been strange and intriguing to others. He always held her as someone who understood him and what it was like to be in a situation that involved keeping one's power on the inside to stop harming those on the outside. She calmed him, soothed him.

She was a salve to his burn and his security blanket. His precious little cub.

To her, he was almost the same thing although in her mind she had strong feelings for him that went beyond just that. In her heart, Mikoto was everything. She had always known her feelings for him but had always understood that she was a child in his eyes, and she accepted that. Mikoto probably didn't know this, just believed that she considered him her security blanket as well.

"Do what you want," Mikoto said, breaking into her thoughts.

She looked at him and he shifted. He grasped her upper-arms and pulled her up with him to stand with him.

"Do what I want, Mikoto?" she repeated, confused.

Mikoto clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Do what you want. You're not so little anymore, right?" He moved to walk away and behind him, Anna smiled understanding that he meant that he understood that she could make good decisions and if she wanted to remain Kei's friend, she could and he wouldn't stop her, but that didn't mean that he liked it because still distrusted Kei.

She hurried to his side and took hold of his hand that was left out of his pocket. Although he didn't return her tight grasp, he allowed her little hand to remain in his.

"Mikoto?" she murmured softly.

He grunted.

"You're hand isn't so large anymore," she stated.

Mikoto stopped, forcing her to pause too. He looked down at her, giving her a hard look.

Then, with his free hand, he reached across to her and caught hold of her cheek, pinching it tightly. "I'm still your King, you little brat," he growled and let her go.

As they continued on their way, a small smile graced Anna's face.

* * *

"I was worried about you two! Sorted out yourselves, I hope?" Natsume remarked when they stood before her at the front door of her house.

She ushered the two inside.

"Chef has been looking forward to stuffing you both with food, especially you, Mikoto. We have some things to discuss but we'll talk about it over dinner so you go ahead, Mikoto. I need to speak to Anna,"

Mikoto nodded and went on his way.

* * *

"So now you understand," Natsume said to Anna after she explained to her that she was showing strong signs of PMS.

Anna's expression was, of course, blank, but Natsume knew that she was probably embarrassed that Mikoto had to bear witness to her behavior associated with her cycle.

The older woman smiled gently. "Don't worry about it. I think Mikoto is just glad that you're alright and that things are good between you again,"

Anna nodded, feeling somewhat better and allowed Natsume to lead her to the dining room where Haru, Ryosuke and Mikoto were already sitting.

Anna sat beside Mikoto who was already eating some seasoned rice and teriyaki fish. The Chef was looking dejected because it seemed that once more, he had not been able to please the young man.

Anna was served her food and she could feel some sort of pressure coming from Mikoto, as if he was telling her, 'Eat all your food!'

Anna did eat all her food. Perhaps it was associated with her cycle for some days prior to her cycle, her appetite would increase dramatically.

"So far, we have had nothing on Iwao," Natsume announced after everyone had eaten. Everyone was silent, but the atmosphere was grim.

"He's been clean this entire time and none of security has caught him in any strange activities,"

"He could wait for you to start trusting him before he strikes," Mikoto pointed out.

Haru and Ryosuke nodded in agreement.

"You're right. That's why I think you two should go on a date,"

Anna and Mikoto looked at Natsume, _completely_ confused.

* * *

_**A/N: I had wanted to post this up yesterday, in time for Valentine's Day but unfortunately, I am quite sick right now...I think I have bronchitis. I apologize for not posting this up sooner. **_

_**I thought it might be interesting to see how Anna and Mikoto's relationship is perceived by someone on the outside, like Yata. Hope you enjoyed his perspective :)**_

_**The flashback for Tatara's birthday was before Chitose met Maria, that's why he's single in it. **_

_**Sorry about not writing more on Seri's situation. Next chapter maybe. I need to have a proper head on for it and I'm kinda in a daze right now cuz I feel like hell. I also wanted to let all those interested by Seri's relationships to know that the 'love triangle' might end up being more dramatic than romantic but I will try to make it as interesting and realistic as possible. **_

_**I'm also very delayed with my chapters because I'm currently visiting some family so it's kind of difficult to find personal time to work on the story. I may not post again for another week. I'm really sorry :/**_

_**But I do love writing this story so don't worry, it hasn't been dropped at all!**_

_**Thank you, all of you who reviewed, followed and favorited this story. You all motivate me to keep on writing and make me get extra excited about updating! Thanks so much. I love you all!**_

_**For those reviewed:**_

_**nannerlovessnickers: This chapter was full of flashbacks, from Yata's perspective though. I hope you enjoyed them :)**_

_**mikotos: You're welcome! Hope you enjoyed this chapter too!**_

_**Hodgeheg: He uses Lion-O against her too! Lol :)**_

_**Indochine: Aww...I'm disappointed that you dislike Kei so much now! But that's alright, I understand why. I would probably be the same way too! Well, there is going to be some more stuff on Seri/Izumo/Munakata. Hope you look forward to it, although your OTP is Seri/Izumo :)**_

_**ladeste: Aww...I missed you too! I missed writing and I may not be able to update for possibly another week! I'm so sorry! :/ But I hope you continue enjoying this story and look forward to the future updates :)**_

_**annashina: Thank you so much for those lovely words. I'm okay for now, although I'm a bit sick right now. How are you?**_

_**OwlGirl98: This chapter had a lot of Lion-O in it! Hope you enjoyed the moments with him...I love writing them :)**_

_**Nobody Special: My special reviewer! How are you? Lol! I better plan more nosebleeding moments in this fic ;)**_

_**Mienchan-ish: This...is my delayed Valentine gift to you. I hope you enjoyed it! :)**_

_**Titania: God bless you too :)**_

_**little weirdo: Thanks for those lovely words, and I really appreciate that you think this fanfic is that good! **_

_**kuronekousako: I hope you enjoyed Anna and Mikoto's interactions here in this chapter :)**_

_**Arius the Heretic: Don't worry, I don't really expect everyone to like Kei. I was actually shocked by the positive response to him though because I usually tend to also be a bit ignorant of OCs. About Seri...I'm still working things out with what to do with her. **_

_**Ambivalencia: Geography and Sociology are cool subjects! Soc drove me nuts sometimes though with all those damned theories and stupid theorists. Good luck with them, and hope you enjoyed this chapter too :)**_

_**Shiary: I hope her heart settles soon too :)**_

_**xNightDreamerx: Well, Mikoto did wake up in this chapter...and he let Anna keep Lion-O :)**_

_**D: So you're a big fan of Seri/Izumo? I can't really say what plans I have for them, if they have a future or not and then there's this thing with Reisi...I'm working out the plot for them :)**_

_**IzzatiNoKitsune: Awww...no nothing bad happened to me! I'm alive...a bit unwell, but still alive! Well, Mikoto still has some sense from his twenty six year old self so he knows how to use Lion-O against Anna ;) To be honest, I can't promise to make more moments on Fushimi/Anna but you will definitely see more interaction between Anna and Kei in the future because they're friends :)**_

_**TheRoseShadow21: Lion-O has not been hurt by Mikoto, just shoved away when he gets in the way. Lol :D You will find out Mikoto's suspicions on Kei much, MUCH later on. Not now. It's a long wait but you will understand why later on :)**_

_**SomeReviewer: Sorry for the lack of Seri/Reisi/Izumo! But hope you enjoyed this chapter still :)**_

_**fearfulfears: I did plan one, but it was delayed! So sorry! Hope you enjoyed it still though! And thank you so much for your lovely words!**_

_**LindyLinn: Well, I won't PM you because it won't really be fair to the other readers but I can tell you right here that this fic is probably more fluff...at the moment. I've mentioned it sometime before that it's a fic about growing up, and growing up also involves falling in love. Anna's experiences are limited to 'fluffy' for now because she's still so young. Once she gets older though *hint* *hint* ;) There won't be a Fushimi/Yata pairing here in terms of romance. However if you look at it as 'bromance' or rivalry/friendship, then yeah. The two OCs in this chapter, Emi and Chie are a potential something for those two though. That's as much as I can answer for now :)**_

**_What did you think of this chapter?  
_**

**_Let me know._**

**_Take care and God bless :)_**


	36. Date and Spies

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

**Chapter 36: Dates and Spies**

Seri had her duties to do and she carried them out as such without complaint, even after the events earlier that week. There was some rearranging of the timetable so that the following week's club activities would be cancelled in the afternoon so that the students could be given more consistent time to get the hang of dancing.

Maybe Seri should be looking forward to it, but she was not. Particularly due to the interaction she would be forced to have with a certain bartender.

Currently, she had reports to submit to her King and she had just done them up. They were very brief for nothing much had happened concerning Iwao.

The reports normally had to be submitted in person and to be honest, she could not look Reisi Munakata in the eye. She was upset with him, and herself and thus far, she had _completely_ avoided him. The fact that nothing had happened with Iwao helped her to keep away from him.

It hadn't really been his business telling her about hers and Izumo's relationship, but because they were at Seneca on official business, her King _did_ have a right to formally advise her about her actions with the man from the Red Clan.

Despite this, Reisi himself had not acted in accordance with proper work ethic. His voice had been laced with anger and he had forcefully held her, and when he had spoken, it was as though he had been threatening her.

His words had been cold and cruel and she had felt as though he had stabbed her with his sword. The worst part about it, was that right before, she had been enjoying his calloused hands on her skin and the way they touched and moved on her.

Almost as much as Izumo's.

Before coming to Seneca, her feelings for Izumo would die as long as she stayed away from him, but because her life could feel so cold and lonely, she would come to his bar from time to time and upon sight of him, all those warm feelings for him would rush back.

The reason why she would feel cold and lonely was because of her respected King. She did have feelings for him that went beyond that deep respect, but because he was so cold...so distant from her, she would feel nothing but coldness inside of her when she left for the workday and she would feel so alone for she would wish so badly that he could open up to her, even a little.

And then after a few weeks of this, she would loose it and run to Izumo.

Truthfully, Seri did not know what she wanted. She couldn't even make a choice between the two men because she did not know what either one truly wanted from her. Did Izumo just want to screw around in bed with her? Or did he really like her?

She assumed the former because she felt that if Izumo really had feelings for her, especially when he clearly knew of hers for him considering the little exchange she had with Anna in the alleyway over a year ago, then he would have _done_ something.

He never made any attempts to reach out and have a relationship with her. In other words, he did not believe in a future for either of them.

That made her suspicious and wonder if it was that the reason why he had come onto her in the dance room was because he felt that due to their closer proximity, he could have a chance to roll around with her in bed.

Those thoughts hurt her and she could not see any other reason as to why Izumo behaved so with her.

She was only a woman and she had feelings and as a woman with feelings, she had that right to defend her heart and become a frozen blade of ice that would not thaw, even for Izumo.

Or Reisi.

Right now, she did not know where she stood with this man, her King.

* * *

"Awashima-kun sent the report with you?" Reisi said when Fushimi handed the written report to him in the tea room. Reisi was busy making some tea using classic Japanese tea wares.

"Yeah. Something about how it was too short and therefore unnecessary for her to see you," Fushimi replied.

Reisi accepted the report without a change in his expression but Fushimi knew he was in deep thought.

"Have a seat, Fushimi. There's no bean paste for you to choke on today," Reisi said.

Fushimi hid his embarrassment at his commander's awareness of how much he despised red bean paste. He sat down and allowed Reisi to give him some tea.

The Blue King drank some himself and sighed, wondering if he had been too much the last time he had spoken in person to Seri.

"Perhaps," Fushimi said, indicating that Reisi had spoken aloud without realizing it.

Reisi glanced at him. "How so?"

"With all due respect, sir, you behaved uncharacteristically,"

Reisi sipped his tea. "Maybe I did," he conceded. He decided to change the topic. "You're going somewhere today, aren't you Fushimi?"

"Yes," Fushimi answered. He didn't really know how Reisi Munakata figured it out, but Fushimi really did have plans today.

Reisi smirked. "I assume that you're trailing on a hunch after someone?"

Fushimi hesitated, then replied, "Yes, I am."

"Good. I suggest you leave now so that you don't loose sight of your hunch,"

Fushimi nodded. He stood up, bowed politely and went on his way.

* * *

Seri stiffened when she felt a familiar presence behind her. "What do you want?" she asked coldly.

Behind her, Izumo laughed softly. "You were so warm with me a few days ago, Seri-chan, almost _hot_. What made you so ice cold today?"

Seri shot him a glare over her shoulder. "Leave me alone, Izumo,"

Izumo suddenly became more serious. "Did that King of yours say something to you?"

Seri ignored him and moved to go, but Izumo's large hand caught hold of her arm and turned her around to face him.

She didn't struggle with him when he used his index finger to tilt her pretty face upward. "Did he, Seri-chan?"

Seri pulled her face and arm away from Izumo before she got caught up in his warmth, scent and perfect charm. "This has nothing to do with you," she stated and moved away from him. She walked off, at a quickened space and Izumo stared after her with a frown.

Two boys paused in the corridor when she brushed passed them. Their backs were to Izumo so they did not notice when he came up behind them.

"Hm...Ms. Tits and Ass looks a bit unhappy," one commented.

"But she's still as hot as ever...with those tits and that _ass_," the other remarked.

Suddenly their heads were put into an unfamiliar, crushing grip and the voice of their english teacher asked softly, "What a nice nickname you have for such a respectable teacher, boys. Shall we discuss it further?"

The two boys whimpered as his grip tightened.

* * *

"Don't use your marbles," Mikoto ordered.

Anna glanced at him with the little red ball still clutched between her fingers. She had been about to peek through them to view Iwao-sensei in the booth he was sitting in.

"Mikoto?" she said his name, confused.

Anna was not an oblivious child; she knew things about people and picked up on things from them and that was something that gave Mikoto a cause for concern for he was certain that if she were to happen upon the wrong people, she would see things her innocent mind should not.

Izumo and Mikoto had protected her as much as they could from the perverted, nasty people out there.

Anna had no idea of this, and she was perhaps quite oblivious to how attractive she really was.

_They were normal people. A plain looking man with a wife who could easily blend into a crowd. They were perhaps in their late twenties. Both obviously worked. _

_Three times a week they came in._

_At each point in time, Anna would be seated on the couch, silent, quiet and unmoving so that everyone who came in, assumed that she was nothing but a mannequin._

_But this couple noted that she was quite alive. _

"_That's quite a pretty child you have there, Bartender-san," the man had commented to Izumo who had just opened a beer for him._

_Izumo smiled. He was used to people giving compliments about the young girl. _

"_She is, isn't she?" he agreed. _

"_Like a living doll. We have no children of our own ourselves," the wife said to him._

"_Oh, how come?" Izumo questioned, mildly curious._

_Mikoto had come down and had glanced at the couple. They did not see him for their backs were turned to him. _

_He seemed to overhear some of the conversation and suddenly he motioned for Anna to come to him. She obeyed by hopping off the couch and taking a hold of the sleeve of his jacket. From there, the King led his princess out of the room._

_Before they disappeared, Mikoto looked at Izumo. A silent message was conveyed between the two and Izumo nodded conspicuously before fully giving his full attention to the couple. _

_Mikoto's removal of Anna from out of the bar meant that he did not like these people. Since Mikoto seemed to have a sixth sense about humans, it meant that something was really wrong with these guys. _

_Meanwhile, Anna herself did not really understand why she was suddenly taken away from the bar by Mikoto. It had been a very long time since Izumo had had her sent off and usually it was because some who were so strange that even the members of Homra did not want them around had come into the bar._

_Anna had sensed something weird from the couple and before she could properly assess them, Mikoto had taken her away._

_Perhaps she had not been walking fast enough for once they entered the living room, Mikoto reached down and caught her around the waist, holding her under his arm like a sack of wheat. _

_Anna gasped in reaction, but the next thing she knew, she was in the kitchen and was unceremoniously set down on chair at the kitchen's counter. _

_Kamamoto was there, making some onigiri. _

"_Feed her and make sure she stays here," Mikoto ordered him._

_Kamamoto did not question him; he merely accepted his orders and returned to making the food._

"_Mikoto?" Anna said his name uncertainly._

_In reply, he lowered his head and roughly kissed her cheek before he left through the door. It was enough for Anna to grasp that there was truly something odd about the seemingly harmless couple who had come in, and Mikoto wanted her nowhere near them. _

_While Anna waited on her onigiri, Izumo listened to the story of the couple's fertility failure. _

"_I can't have children. A very sad story. I had ovarian cancer which resulted in surgery that took away my ability to have children,"_

"_I'm sorry to hear that," Izumo stated._

_The woman smiled almost sincerely. "There are other options, including adoption,"_

"_I see. Have you any child in mind?"_

_The husband spoke then. "That little doll. She doesn't have parents does she? My wife and I would be more than glad to have her as our own,"_

_Izumo smiled. It wasn't the first offer he had had for someone to adopt Anna but he still refused. _

"_Anna belongs here with us," Izumo told him. _

_The husband became serious again. So serious that there was a frightening look in his eyes. "Look buddy, I'm willing to pay top dollar for that beauty,"_

_Izumo felt anger grown in him. The way the man had spoken sounded just like several pedophiles and human traffickers who had come in before, willing to buy out Anna from Izumo. _

_Before he could retort, a powerful presence was sensed by the pair and a gruff voice stated, "She belongs here,"_

_The pair paled and nervously looked over their shoulders to behold the speaker._

_It was Mikoto and although there was a bored expression on his face, his eyes had a slight red glow and anger seemed to almost be emanating from him. _

_The couple hurried to finish off their drinks. They paid and left._

_A few days later, it was reported on the news that the couple's house had been burned by a mysterious fire and every possession of theirs was burnt to a crisp, save for their computer and a small metal box which the firemen discovered contained child pornography. _

_The couple themselves admitted to their wrong actions. From what was reported on the news, it seemed that the two had been spooked and believed that some fiery demon had been sent to punish them for their actions._

The frequency of the visits from such persons declined substantially due to Mikoto's reputation in the city. Upon sight of her clinging to him, at once signaled to these perverts that Anna was off-limits for she belonged to the guy who was considered a monster, even in the underworld.

This was among the reasons why Mikoto chose to teach her how to fight, aside from the situation with the Rise. It was also the reason why he didn't stop her from all her martial arts clubs despite her health situation; Anna needed to know how to protect herself because it was a fact that she would not always have a member from Homra around to protect her.

Currently, they were sitting in a booth in a lovely maid cafe and Anna was having the special of the house: 'Red Sundae' which was basically a sundae made up of strawberry and cherry ice-cream, topped with nuts, cherries, whipped cream, red colored candies and raspberry syrup.

It was icky, gooey, yummy and sweet.

Anna savored every delicious bite.

Meanwhile, Mikoto who was eating a chocolate sundae was just glad that she was eating more than the bite sized portions she usually had.

However, he had also learned earlier that week that if Anna started eating more, he should probably not comment on it.

"_What's wrong?" Anna asked from behind the large portion of steamed tofu, rice and fish. Mikoto had been watching her with a frown. _

"_You're eating a lot," he commented as he returned to his own food which was not quite as large as Anna's. _

_Tension gripped the air as it seemed that even Natsume, Ryosuke and Haru froze at Mikoto's words. _

_Anna stiffened. She set down her rice bowl quietly. _

_Sensing that something was amiss, Mikoto glanced at her again. He was reminded of the day before when Anna had walked off on him after they had argued in the dance room._

"_Anna?"_

"_So I'm eating too much?" she questioned. Her eyes were dead serious and Mikoto felt as though she was somehow **glaring** at him._

_That disturbed him._

"_Well..."_

"_You complain when I eat too little, now you have a problem when I eat more?" she continued._

_Mikoto did not like how she made him sound so unreasonable. _

"_I wasn't picking a fight," Mikoto told her cuttingly. _

_Ryosuke, beside him whispered loudly, "Mikoto-san, you must never, **ever** comment on the amount a girl eats! She'll want your head on a platter for that!"_

_Mikoto glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "I'm pleased she's eating more. Nothing's wrong with that,"_

_That seemed to settle Anna. In Mikoto's mind, he attributed Anna's behavior to 'PMSing' which was stuff he didn't understand and figured he wouldn't even try to. _

_Meanwhile, Ryosuke figured that his King was probably so blunt that he could either be considered very stupid or very smart because he didn't understand that he had offended Anna in the first place and his blatant words which still lacked understanding to Anna's emotions had made **her** understand that he wasn't criticizing her. _

_Anna had continued on eating, seemingly quite contented that her actions were making her King glad. _

Now, it was Saturday and they were having their 'date'.

"_What do you mean?" Anna asked Natsume when she informed the young pair that they should go on a date._

"_And what does that have to do with Iwao?" Mikoto added on with a hint of irritation in his voice. _

_Natsume grinned. "I'd like for you to take Anna out this Saturday, Mikoto. In fact, I want you to go to a particular maid cafe in Seneca Town,"_

"_What's the reason?" Mikoto asked. _

"_Because a certain sensei frequents that cafe and I need you to keep an eye on his activities,"_

They had come into the cafe first, before Iwao, ensuring that they got a more private booth. Since the pair was very attractive, it was also best for them to keep a bit out of sight as well. They sat opposite each other and as soon as they were given the menus, Anna had already figured out what she wanted.

Mikoto knew it too for it wasn't hard to realize that she would choose the thing with the most red from the menu which was her Red Sundae.

Mikoto didn't have a problem with going on a 'date' with Anna, as Natsume had said for him to do. It was more like he didn't care for the place they came to. He wasn't really one impressed by pretty girls dressed up in maid costumes coming up to him and calling him 'Master' and serving him attractive items.

He was a king.

Therefore, he surpassed the level of 'Master'.

As for pretty girls in pretty costumes, he had Anna who he considered to be far prettier than any of the employees in the cafe. That made Mikoto pause momentarily in his thoughts.

'Pretty' was the word that had been niggling at the back of his head since earlier that week when he had watched Anna apologize to him when they were in the woods. Her blushing, apologetic face had brought up a word he had probably never used to describe a girl in his life and he had trouble remembering it.

Mikoto was generally slow in this area and therefore it was only now he could acknowledge that Anna looked _pretty_. Especially in the way she was currently dolled up.

Mikoto took another bite of his sundae as he thought back on his first sight of Anna earlier that day.

"_Anna will be down now, Mikoto," Natsume said as she approached him. He was waiting impatiently at the foot of the staircase for he just wanted the chore to be over and done with so that he could come back home and take a nice long nap. _

_Mikoto grunted in response._

_He lifted his head at the clack of a pair of shoes as they walked down the stairs._

_Mikoto was not one who really paid attention to certain details about clothes and women. He never had. To him, they all looked the same. Some just had more jiggly breasts than others but he wasn't really a man impressed by large breasts anyway so he didn't particularly care. _

_Despite this, Mikoto was quite sure that even his twenty six year old self would have paused at the sight of Anna today. _

_She was standing before him dressed in a red and white lolita dress. He recognized it as the one she always wore as if recently, or so his memories told him._

_Yet, for some reason, the dress looked a bit different on Anna today. The dress had short, puffed white sleeves which had a red ribbon running through them and tiny little bows about the edges. The only other part that was white was the bodice part that covered her breasts decently. It was made of a ruffled material and like the sleeves, also had a red ribbon running through it, but there was only one bow and that was at the very centre._

_Mikoto was not sure why, but for some reason, the dress looked tight about her chest area. In fact, the rest of the torso, which was a dark red material, hugged her stomach a little too lovingly before it flared out into a short red shirt that fell a little more than above her knees. She wore on her usual white stockings and a pair of red buckle shoes with a small heel._

_Her hair, however, had grown extraordinarily long. _

_The long, beautiful, white strands that had a hint of grey fell to her thighs. Normally, hair so long wouldn't be expected to be very thick, but Anna's was. It was thick and had a beautiful, healthy shine. It curtained around her and the only accessory she wore in those long, long waves was a small red bow which took the place of her original titled hat._

_Even her skin, despite it's paleness, had an almost glow to it. Her eyes were wide and grey and those dark lashes seemed ever more prominent. _

_Mikoto, however, had a very slow mind when it came to acknowledging the beauty of women and his mind was trying to process some long ago forgotten word to describe her. _

_Anna herself had begun to blush under his scrutiny, causing Mikoto to frown further because admittedly, she looked even more cute like that. _

"Mikoto?" Anna's voice cut into his thoughts.

Apparently, he had been staring at her for a long time, without much change in his expression. He blinked when she called his name, and abruptly, he reached across and used his thumb to wipe the little dab of ice cream at the corner of her mouth. The bit of red dessert remained on his thumb and he returned his hand to his side of the table.

Slowly, he lifted that thumb to his mouth, and his pink tongue reached out and slowly flicked the ice cream, all the while his golden eyes remained on Anna.

Under normal circumstances, Anna would probably just blink at Mikoto and continue eating her ice cream while Mikoto returned to his, thinking nothing about the situation.

However, their eyes remained on each other for a long, long time and Anna could not help but notice that this fourteen year old boy before her, was quite handsome. His twenty six year old self was quite a looker too, but meeting him at this age was really pleasant for her.

Earlier that day, she had been blushing at the sight of him. Normally, Mikoto wore on plain clothes with his personal touch of grunge due to the jewelry he wore: his chains, bracelets and rings.

However, today he had traded in his trademark white shirt for a black one over which a long sleeved brownish cardigan that was low enough to reveal his necklaces rested.

With his red hair, golden eyes and very lightly tanned skin, Mikoto looked like a pop star and stood out among the crowd (Anna unwittingly also stood out).

Anna had found that he looked quite handsome...and different and in a way, things were not as how it was between her and Mikoto's twenty six year old self-not just physically-wise, but also on a mental level as well for they were much closer to the same age and could meet on a similar ground. It was therefore easier for Mikoto to get past the notion that she was just a child.

"He's leaving," Mikoto said to Anna and her thoughts on him were also broken.

They watched from the corner of their booth as Iwao motioned to a nearby maid that he wanted the bill. He paid for it, and got up to leave.

Mikoto also motioned for the check. The maid who came up to them was a pretty thing with long black hair and black eyes. She was quite cheerful.

"Did you find everything delightful?" she questioned as she handed them the bill that was contained in a leather booklet.

Anna nodded but Mikoto did not say anything. He simply opened the booklet and reached for some cash from his pocket.

"You know miss, we're always looking for new employees. You look as though you'd be perfect for the job!" the waitress exclaimed.

"No," Mikoto said.

Anna and the waitress looked at him.

"Oh, this must be your boyfriend. I guess he wouldn't be keen on the idea of you working in an area that attracts so many guys,"

Anna didn't know what to say, and Mikoto didn't really care to reply.

* * *

"They are so _not_ brother and sister," Kei commented from his booth across the room. He was sitting at angle where he could see everything that Anna and Mikoto were doing, but they wouldn't be able to see him quite as easily.

"They're adopted," Akemi reminded him as she sipped on her ice cream soda.

Kei frowned when he glanced her way. "Look at the way they watch each other, Akemi. It's like they're attracted to each other but they don't know it,"

Akemi shrugged as she lifted the straw out of the end of the soda and licked the very bottom of it. "What's the big deal, Kei? I thought you said you weren't going to meddle?"

Kei snorted. He had told Akemi that, hadn't he? This past week had been a weird week, watching those two interact. He and Akemi sometimes came to Seneca town on weekends because they didn't go home while everyone else did so they came to the town to just hang out. They could actually afford to do so now with the pay they got from their club.

Neither had known that Anna would remain in Seneca this weekend and they had been surprised that she mentioned nothing about it.

"_Maybe it was a last minute plan that she decided to show her brother around. Seneca Town is really lovely, after all," Akemi had pointed out when they had caught sight of the two entering the maid cafe. _

"_Or maybe she just wanted to spend time with that beast of a brother she had instead of us," Kei argued. For once, he was quite serious._

"_Aww...is Kei-chan jealous?" Akemi teased._

_In reply, Kei gave her a beautifully warm smile, the kind she knew meant that she had to run because he would do something sadistic with that twisted personality of his. As she turned to run off, Kei caught by the waist and pulled her hard against him so that her back was pressed against his warm chest. _

"_Ah, sweet Akemi, is it that you're jealous?" he had crooned against her ear, almost lovingly. _

_Akemi struggled, but he caught her hair with his free hand and he ran his fingers through the golden masses of curls strongly enough to almost hurt. "Are you, Akemi?" he pressed as he forced her head toward his. Warm brown eyes met hers._

_However, Akemi was not one to give in so easily. _

_In return she stepped hard on his foot, making him cry out in pain._

"_You bitch! That hurt!" he snapped and proceeded to sob, "my toe! My precious, beautiful toe! I'm maimed for life!"_

"_You deserved it you moron!" she retorted. _

_Kei, strangely enough calmed down._

_And agreed with her. "You're right! Let me make it up to you with something from the maid cafe!"_

* * *

And that was how the two wound up in the cafe, and sat down as inconspicuously as they could, away from Anna and Mikoto.

"We're done here," Kei said and motioned for the bill.

Akemi, gathering up her ice cream soda with her straw still, looked at him, surprised. "What? Already?"

"I'm paying aren't I?"

"You're wasting your money! Neither of us are done so just finish it off!"

Kei frowned. "We'll loose sight of those two,"

Akemi scowled at him. "Are you that jealous, stupid?"

Kei looked thoughtful. "I actually wouldn't call it 'jealousy'. I'd probably say 'curiosity',"

"'Curiosity'?" Akemi repeated, her blue eyes showing that she was bewildered by his words.

Kei grinned. "You can't tell me that that romantic heart of yours doesn't want to see more of their interaction,"

Akemi glowered at him because he was right; she was very much interested in Anna and Mikoto's relationship for it was so intriguing to watch the two of them.

Both Kei and Akemi had been surprised by the way those two got along. They were so different and yet they seemed to have such a deep bond:

_**A few days ago:**_

_Kei made his way to the clubroom that he and the rest of the Finders' Club was using. The look on his face was obviously miserable for he was deeply concerned about how he would be able to maintain a relationship with his good friend Anna Kushina with that beast of a brother she had wandering around. _

_From what he had learned, the guy had somehow turned a large portion of the male Middle School body against the Head of the Disciplinary Committee without really trying and somehow, Masa Masaru was out of a position. _

_Mikoto Suoh had somehow created a gang in school who, for the last two days, followed him around and crowded around him. Whenever Kei had come across the scary red head, he was surrounded by many male students, much of who had somehow developed mean smirks on their faces._

_Unfortunately, many of these guys were those belonging to highly physical clubs including the martial arts and sports clubs. The rest of the male students were afraid._

_Kei was wary of Mikoto Suoh, mainly because he knew the guy wanted his blood for being around his precious sister, but Kei truly valued Anna as his friend and once he placed that kind of value on someone, he did not let them go. _

_It had been three days since the incident in the dance studio and Kei had barely seen Anna. Most of the time, she was busy with her club activities. Even when there was the class swap and she had a few classes with him, Suoh and his gang would mob around her in the classroom._

_Kei had to admit that Suoh and the new teacher, Reisi Munakata had a funny kind of interaction. It was like they had some sort of deep dislike, but deep respect for each other. Not many people noticed it very well, but Kei, being the observant person that he was, did. _

_Munakata seemed to like to subtly insult Suoh. Suoh, for a large part, would ignore him. However, one day Kei had heard a loud noise just as he had left the classroom, leaving behind Anna, Suoh and Munakata-sensei._

He turned around to see that Suoh had slammed his foot deliberately into Munakata's desk, leaving a large dent into the iron material.

"I'm not in the mood today, Munakata. Don't bug me," Mikoto said with an annoyed voice.

Munakata-sensei merely snorted. "Is that so? You've damaged school property, Suoh-kun. Detention,"

Kei had hurried away from that scene for if that guy could kick a metal desk in, then he had to be really _powerful_.

_Kei feared him, yes, but he was very curious about him. He had a feeling that if they had met under different circumstances, such as becoming friends with him first before Anna, then he would have gotten along just fine with the crazy redhead. _

_Kei sighed and opened the door to the clubroom. Anna was sitting behind the desk to the left with the computer before her. _

_Akemi was on the other side, looking a bit nervous. Kei caught sight of what was making her nervous. _

_To the back, there was a long couch and there, lying like a lazy lion, was Anna's precious brother._

"_W-What's he doing here?" Kei questioned, surprised._

_Anna and Akemi looked around to see their friend. _

_Akemi immediately stood up and walked over to him. "He's our newest member,"_

"_What? How come I wasn't informed?" Kei demanded. He turned around to look at Anna who was busy typing at her computer. _

_Without looking at him, she replied, "Mikoto needed to join a club, so he joined this one,"_

"_Even if you are the President, you should have told us!" Kei snapped._

"_So noisy," came a grumble from the couch. _

_Kei quieted and glanced over at the scary young man sleeping there. Anna spoke, drawing his attention back to her._

"_You don't tell me about the bribes you take," Anna stated._

_Kei scowled. In a low whisper, he pointed out, "At the least the people I take bribes from don't want to rip you apart!"_

_Akemi smirked beside him. "Mikoto-san wants to kill you? I want to be there to see that!"_

_Without immediately looking at her, Kei reached across and wrapped a friendly looking arm around Akemi, such that it was like he had her in a headlock._

_He drew her hard against him, making her gasp. _

_She struggled against him, but he smiled almost lovingly at her. "Hey Akemi?"_

_She paused in her squirming and looked up at him. "What?"_

"_Do shut up," he said._

_Akemi was about to retort something angrily when Mikoto sat up abruptly._

_The two friends were worried that they had interrupted his nap and he was probably going to break their bones for doing so. _

_However, the guy just yawned sleepily and stood up. He raked a hand through his rich, scarlet hair and grabbed up his backpack. He walked past the pair and to the door, pausing only when Anna called out to him. _

"_Mikoto,"_

_He stopped and turned around. _

_Anna hurried over to him. "Are you leaving already?"_

"_That asshole Munakata gave me detention," he reminded her._

_Anna nodded. _

_Akemi and Kei watched, completely stunned as Anna lay one hand on Mikoto's shoulder while the other lay on his chest as she levered herself upward to her toes so that she could press her lips against his cheek._

_The lazy lion-like guy's expression did not change, even when he shoved his hands in his pockets, yet the pair behind them could sense that the beast was somehow calmed by Anna's actions. _

"_Be good," Anna murmured to her brother as she lowered her heels to the floor again._

_He nodded and lowered his head, gently nudging his nose against her temple. Then, he turned and walked off, with Anna staring after him._

_The two did not look like siblings at all._

_When Anna turned around, she paused at the sight of her friends; they were watching her watch Mikoto._

_She blinked at them in a way that they had come to realize meant that she was confused by them. They merely smiled awkwardly at her, and found something absentmindedly to do._

_They knew that she wouldn't understand if they told her that the interaction between her and her so-called 'brother' had been more like a girlfriend seeing her boyfriend off._

* * *

The waitress had come to clear away their dishes and had left them with the bill.

"Hey, Akemi?" Kei said with an almost guilty smile.

She glanced at him suspiciously. "What?"

"I forgot my wallet. Can you foot the bill?"

* * *

Anna walked beside Mikoto down the street, at a safe distance from Iwao. One of Mikoto's hands was in his pocket while the other was free because Anna was holding onto it.

Suddenly, the pocketed hand was out in the open and Anna sensed a spike in Mikoto's power. His hand was in front of him and red flames engulfed it.

Quickly, she moved in front of Mikoto, and caught hold of his hand that was covered in his aura. He looked down at her with an angry look in his eyes but she shook her head at him.

"Mikoto," she voiced his name.

She was willing him to put away his power. "Don't," she implored with her large, wide eyes.

He scowled at her, then sighed as his face relaxed.

He shook her off from him then reached down to pick up a smooth, white stone from the side of the road.

Then, he pelted it in the direction of the building behind them where it slammed into a large dumpster.

It slammed into it with a loud _bang_ and two people cried out and hurried out from behind it.

It was Kei and Akemi.

"They blew our cover," Mikoto stated. His voice had become deeper and a little rougher and Anna took his hand in hers again.

She looked up at him imploringly. "They didn't mean to, Mikoto. They didn't know," she whispered.

Akemi and Kei were looking at the two embarrassedly as they drew closer a bit nervously.

"Ah, how long did you know we were there?" Kei asked.

"Since you entered the cafe," Anna responded.

She could not go and speak to them for Iwao would have seen her.

Unfortunately, the two had been so indulged in spying on Anna and her brother that neither had bothered to realize that they had actually sat across the table from Iwao.

Iwao had been the perfect gentleman in the cafe. He was polite, well mannered, ate at a decent pace and tipped generously.

Even though he had seemed to be minding his own business, there was no way he would not have noticed Akemi and Kei entering the restaurant and therefore that would have made him exercise more caution in his behavior.

Mikoto wasn't happy right now and Anna couldn't blame him, but it was true that her friends did not know what was going on.

* * *

"Enjoying the view, President of the Disciplinary Committee?" Fushimi asked.

Chie was startled from her position atop the building. She glanced around to see Fushimi standing there with his arms folded. He had a smirk about his face which she had come to acknowledge was quite good looking.

She scowled. She had had enough of this guy for the week so far. Apparently, he had somehow finagled the position of Vice President of the Disciplinary Committee.

And she had not found out in a nice way either.

* * *

_Misaki Yata hated this._

_He abhorred this._

_He had sent Fushimi to detention to be punished, only to find out that he had to be the one overseeing him in the detention room._

_There was no punishment in that!_

_So, here he was, sitting in front of the classroom with his two feet propped on the desk with his arms folded, glowering at the smirking young man sitting in the student's desk before him._

"_Not happy about your position now, are you, Misaki?" Fushimi taunted him._

_Yata tsked. "Aren't you the one who isn't happy, Saru? You're the guy who likes to have power over others, now here you are sitting as a student in front of me, the very guy you'd like to undermine,"_

_Fushimi's smile vanished. "When did you get so smart, Misaki?"_

_Yata removed his feet from the desk and straightened up his posture. He grinned. "I learned a lot over time, Saru,"_

_Fushimi gave a lopsided frown. "No, you didn't. Izumo must have said something so you just repeated it. You're still as stupid as ever, Misaki,"_

"_Don't say that so sympathetically!" Yata snapped._

"_It's not my fault you're an idiot," Fushimi returned with a shrug._

_It was true what Fushimi had said to Yata, however, what ticked off the chestnut haired boy was the fact that his former friend knew him so well, even though their bond of friendship had been broken years ago, shortly after they had both left middle school._

"_Alright, that's enough," came a familiar strict voice. _

_The two males turned to see Chie and Emi in the doorway. Chie looked like a stereotypical, fearless, domineering female while Emi seemed like a friendly, sweet natured but air-headed girl. _

"_I see your two guards are here, Misaki. So much for the great teacher having so much power in the classroom," Fushimi commented._

"_Go fu-"_

"_Yata-sensei!" Chie cut in before Yata could finish his cursing. _

"_Yeah, don't forget you're a **sensei** now," Fushimi stressed. "you can't use bad language."_

"_Do stop heckling Yata-sensei, Saruhiko-san," Chie chided him._

_Fushimi shrugged at her. "I'm just stating the facts to our sensei since it doesn't seem that he read the rulebook,"_

"_Well it isn't your place to do so," Chie informed him._

_Fushimi gave her a slow, easy smile then. "Is that so? I thought that the Vice President of the Disciplinary Committee also had the priviledge of reminding new teachers of their conduct,"_

"_Well we currently do not have one," Chie put in._

_That's when Saruhiko Fushimi decided to give a slow, sadistic smile._

* * *

Chie did not understand how this attractive creep even got into the Committee in the first place. She could sense that Fushimi liked power and he did not like the idea of being under anyone's authority unless it was someone he deeply respected.

She whipped out a pair of black binoculars and focused them on a figure at the bottom of the building. She ignored Fushimi.

"_How did a guy like you end up in that position so quickly?" Chie demanded. "It's only your first week of school and you're already in detention!"_

"_I'm not surprised," Yata mumbled, but more to himself because the other two seemed so caught up in their conversation. It was like sparks were flying from Chie and Fushimi was having fun catching them and showing her that he was not harmed by them at all._

_Yata had never seen Fushimi behave that way toward anyone...and he was fighting hard to not admit that he was a bit envious of Chie right now because Yata, though also unwilling to admit this, had been looking forward to having a good spat with Fushimi to get his blood boiling with some random fight._

_Then Chie just **had** to walk in and take his former friend's attention from him._

"_Perhaps we should leave them alone, Yata-sensei?" Emi suggested beside him._

_Yata scratched the back of his head. "Yeah," he agreed._

_Chie was currently close to tearing Fushimi's eyeballs out. _

"_My my, are you so upset that I've moved up the ranks so far, Chie-san?"_

"_I want to see proof!" Chie demanded._

_Fushimi tsked in annoyance. "Are you that doubtful of me?"_

"_You've given me no reason to trust your opinion!"_

_Fushimi smirked as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a photocopied page. "Are you that upset about your power being taken from you?"_

_Chie gave him a serious look then before she snatched away the paper from Fushimi. "Power is not my main interest, Saruhiko-san; the acquisition of certain things is, whether tangible or intangible,"_

"_And what sorts of intangible things you have in mind?" Saruhiko pressed, taking advantage of the fact that she was somewhat distracted in her perusing of the document in her hand. _

_She flicked him a glance. "**Justice**," she replied and returned her attention to the page. She made an irritated noise. _

"_It's been signed by all the three principals at Seneca," Chie stated as she returned Fushimi's document to him. "You must have friends in high places,"_

_Fushimi shrugged. "I have a good track record from my old school. I guess we'll be seeing more of each other, Chie-san,"_

_Chie didn't reply and turned her attention to her friend who was standing nearby, listening to Yata-sensei speak._

"_...it was like soaring through the air like a bird! Even if it was just for a moment!" Yata was telling Emi excitedly. He was telling her a story of a particularly high ramp he had skateboarded on. Just as excited as he was by telling of his experience was perhaps just as exciting for the girl listening to him for she looked at him with genuine admiration in his eyes._

_Normally, Yata was one who was incredibly nervous around girls, but because he was so caught up in his story-telling, he seemed to have forgotten that nervousness due to how fascinated his listener was. _

"_Two idiots," Fushimi muttered about the pair. He was almost jealous of how innocently and childishly Emi expressed her interest in Yata's experiences. Fushimi was never a man like that for he was always more private, and much too cold._

_She had somehow gotten Yata to talk in a way Fushimi hadn't heard him speak in years. Fushimi was envious of her._

_It had ended up that the detention was spent with Yata telling Emi all about his experiences while Fushimi and Chie played chess. Their games had all ended in draws, unfortunately._

* * *

"You're either a crazy stalkerish fan of Iwao-sensei, or you really hate the guy and you're a sniper in disguise," Fushimi said to Chie.

Chie was becoming irritated by her classmate. For the entire week, he hadn't come to a single meeting of the Disciplinary Committee, much less showed his face. She hated people like that and she was convinced that Fushimi didn't get through with his position due to 'doing well at his previous school'. He had to have links in Seneca for him to actually have the signature of all three principals.

Normally, just the signature of the principal of the school under which the Committee was functioning needed to put his name alone, but Fushimi had gotten _three_.

Chie didn't say anything.

However, Saruhiko continued, "Chie Izumi, age 18; will be 19 soon. You're a High School Senior at one of the most elite schools in the world and yet you entered here on a scholarship only just last year. You're one of the very few who have earned a first class scholarship to come here with all your bills paid,"

"I'm smart," Chie retorted.

"Maybe you are, since you're stalking your sensei from a good vantage point,"

"It's easier this way,"

"So why do you hate him so much?"

"Because-" Chie managed to cut herself off before she said anything else.

She slowly turned her head to watch Fushimi over her shoulder.

He shrugged and gave her a serious look. "What's your grudge against the new teacher, Chie-san?"

* * *

_**A/N: Sorry I've been MIA for so long. I only just recovered and had to catch up on some stuff. I'm not a 100% healthy quite yet, but should be soon :)**_

_**Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**_

_**So does Chie have a grudge on Iwao? And if so, what is it?**_

_**And Anna and Mikoto are *noticing* things about each other. **_

_**Sorry for not making more trouble between Fushimi and Yata. I need to go re-watch some episodes of K to get a better 'feel' of their characters so I can keep them in character for their next interaction.**_

_**By the way, Mikoto's outfit is similar to one he had on in the lost king game. **_

_**I was working on this chapter since last week when I was still miserably sick. I started and restarted it and ended up piecing it together to form this unfluffy, full of non-fluffy flashbacks chapter that I'm surprisingly okay with. Normally I'd be angry at myself for not putting in more fluff. Maybe next chapter :)**_

_**I think Kei and Akemi represent many of us who, if the opportunity presented itself, would go spy on Anna and Mikoto too (I would stalk them from a distance, then feel totally ashamed of myself).**_

_******Thank you, Aqua Scans for translating the latest chapter of K Memory of Red for us. **_

_**Thank you, all of you reviewed, followed and favorited this story. I truly appreciate it and you all encourage me and motivate me to keep writing this story.**_

_**For all who reviewed:**_

**Hodgeheg: Glad you liked the flashbacks, there were lots in this one but they were more involved with the current time line than the far past. Hope you liked their date :)**

**Owlgirl98: Hope you're still excited :)**

**LindyLinn: Cool :)**

**Indochine: It was my Vday's gift to you ;) I'm much better now, compared to before. I'm glad you really enjoyed Yata's viewpoint from the last chapter :)**

**xNightDreamerx: Thanks for pointing that out. Will fix it soon :) Lol, what did your mother do when you squealed out? Anyway, it makes me really glad to know you like those aspects of the chapter :)**

**Shiary: Me too, especially Yata's :p**

**Titania: I don't know what it was, only that I was really, really ill. I'm much better now, and I'm so glad to know you like the OCs!**

**nannerlovessnickers: Lol well now you see Kei and Akemi's reaction to their date ^_^...with Chie spying from a distance...but at Iwao though. Lol :)**

**annshina: I'm much better now, thank you for the well wishes :)**

**princessforeveralone aka little weirdo: Thank you for the little 'get well soon' PM. I appreciate that. You're 12 then? Well, just read this story at your own discretion-not that anything should happen beyond the 'T' rating of this story :) I've been getting bronchitis for many years now: when it gets too cold or I'm around too much dust. It's really horrible. Thank you so much for your lovely words about the story. I really appreciate that. Thank you 3**

**Nobody Special: My special reviewer! *hug* awww...thanks for those lovely words and I'm MUCH better now! Sorry for the late update and I hope you really enjoyed this chapter :)**

**ladeste: I'm thanking God I'm much better now! Lol :) I really did take my time with this chapter, I just hope I didn't go too overboard with taking about two weeks to update :/**

**Ambivalencia: My ambiant, valiant reviewer! Seriously-don't ever change your username. It's too awesome :) I got fed up of Sociology and all those damned theories and theorists and then I went on to to do a couple of Psychology courses in college which was full of _more_ theories and theorists *smh* Lol. I always liked Geography, and I liked learning about clouds...and plate tectonics with all the volcanoes :) You have anymore exams coming up? I thought that chapter had a moderate length. I guess all the flashbacks made it seem so short :) I'm MUCH better now. I didn't bother to go by my doctor because he charges too much and then overloads us with even more expensive medicine. I'm starting to get really funny about these doctors and their methods of 'helping people get better'. I think a good doctor should prescribe little pharmaceuticals and stop trying to drain us of our money. **

**xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx: Glad you're loving it!**

**steph4200: There does seem to be some kind of 'intimate' actions going between those two. I'm looking forward to writing more on it:) Thanks so much for your lovely words, they are really motivating to me :)**

**WitchyCloudpine: Glad you finally caught up and I'm happy to know you love it :)**

**Bre Renee: My reviews just didn't seem complete without you. Seriously! You always review with every chapter so I was like...wait, where's Bree Renee? I'm glad to hear from you again! I love Tatara too...he was always so sweet. If I ever write another K fanfiction, I want to make him alive in it :) Omg, I did watch warm bodies. I ended up going to the movies just recently and when I was watching it at first I was thinking, 'What kind of twisted madness is this? '...then later on, I said, 'This is so corny but so different that it's awesome!' Lol. Great movie suggestion. Thanks!**

**D: Anna really has some weird eating habits :)**

**kuronekousako: Sorry for the long wait for an update! I appreciate that you always check and I'm sorry for disappointing you with my lack of updating for so long. Thank you so much. I hope you really enjoyed this chapter too :)**

**tamachon: I know, right? Why did the colorless king have to exist? Wait...you're okay with pedo? Eh...as interesting and intriguing I do find the 'badass and loli' combination, I wouldn't ship them together sexually. That would just ruin Mikoto's character for me...I understand where you're coming from with picturing a more developed Anna, but remember this is a story about growing up so she's gonna get more curves :) I'm also not offended at all by your dislike of pairing the main characters with OCs. It's understandable :) All I ask is that you give Chie and Emi a chance, not as 'potential pairings' for Fushimi and Yata, but just as characters. I think you will be pleased. Thanks so much for your lovely words, Tama, and so sorry for the delayed update! Hope you really enjoy this chapter!**

**Mienchan-ish: *Hug back* :)**

**pok3s16: Hope you continue enjoying the story :)**

**my fan: well, to be honest that is a bit of a selfish request because while you may not want to see them as a potential love interest for Yata and Fushimi, several other readers do. I also don't really see how this could change things between Yata and Fushimi because in this story, they are simply former friends who had once been very close and now heckle each other upon meeting because they have something against each other due to their broken bond. I also know what it's like to have a friendship that runs deep like that...Either way, I do appreciate that you wanted to express your opinion and I'm glad that you like the other OCs. I just ask that you give Chie and Emi a chance. They have an important role to play in this part of the story and I think you might be satisfied by the way things with them and Yata and Fushimi go :) **

**Some Reviewer: Hm...Iwao could be guilty? Or he could be innocent as dove. Maybe Chie's story might give some indication ;) And yes, Anna allowed to hang out with Kei! Lol. Thanks for your review. You're not just 'Some Reviewer', you're my AWESome Reviewer ;)**

**Thanks again for all the lovely reviews. I do appreciate them. **

**Let me know your thoughts on this chapter, and if you're curious about Iwao and what's really going on with him.**

**Hopefully I will update more frequently.**

**God bless :)**


	37. Balls

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

**_A/N: Happy Birthday nannerlovessnickers!_**

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

**Chapter 37: Balls**

Mikoto gave Anna a look that made her almost impulsively run back to Natsume's house and hide Lion-O. She was quite sure her plushie was going to pay for her friends' impeding onto their assignment.

"Eh...greetings Mikoto-san!" Kei told him with a brilliant smile.

"_Why are you grinning like that, idiot?" Mikoto demanded of Totsuka who was sitting on the couch opposite of his._

_Totsuka continued beaming at his King. "Isn't it adorable? Anna is always so comfortable with you,"_

_The small child had fallen asleep with her head resting quite comfortably on Mikoto's lap. Mikoto gave Totsuka an angry look, but his friend just continued smiling broadly at the sight of his rough and tough King, letting himself be used as a resting spot for a sweet, innocent child. _

Stupid Kei's smile was reminiscent of his fallen comrade's making Mikoto grow agitated.

"What do you want?" he demanded. Mikoto did intend to speak roughly and his voice came out much more callously than he had meant it to be. Akemi cringed at his tone.

Anna reached out and took one of Mikoto's hands between her own.

"Mikoto," she voice his name.

He glanced at her. Her wide eyes looked up at him and she knew that he was remembering Totsuka. His emotions began to calm and some distant part of his mind recognized that it was because the thumbs of her hands were gently caressing the palm of his larger one, somehow soothing him.

He grunted in irritation and returned his attention to the other two in front of him.

"We saw Anna and you and we were just curious," Kei answered so honestly that Akemi wanted to hit him. Didn't the idiot know how to lie? Lying was crucial in order to get away from this beastly guy standing before them!

Akemi proceeded to kick him in the shin, forcing him to yelp out in pain. "Damn it you bitch! Why do you keep attacking me?!"

"Because you're an idiot!" she retorted.

"I am _not_ an idiot!"

"You're the jerk who forgot his wallet home and made me pay! Jeez, Kei, I know you don't really think of me as any different than the rest of girls you harass in school but I really hadn't expected you to push it this far,"

Kei paused. "What do you mean?" he questioned with a very serious look coming on his face.

Akemi shot him an irritated glance with her ice blue eyes.

"What do you mean, what do _I_ mean? I'm just like the rest of girls at school to you, but I would have appreciated you showed me some respect," she retorted.

"Is this because I made you pay the bill?"

"That among other things," she told him and shrugged.

It was then that Akemi realized that Kei was, for once, genuinely pissed off with her. His expression was like stone and his eyes didn't even move. He turned away from her.

"I don't mind that you're upset about the bill, but I would have paid you back when we got back to school. I'm just surprised...and hurt too that you think that I don't consider you my friend," Kei explained.

When Akemi's eyes widened in genuine shock, Kei scowled grabbed her into a headlock. "You blond haired brat! You don't need to look so surprised!" he snapped at her. He was clearly offended that she believed that he didn't think much of her.

He paused and looked over his shoulder. Anna and Mikoto had disappeared during his argument with Akemi.

He turned back to the girl in his arms.

She was smirking up at him. "You distracted me deliberately, didn't you?"

"It was either that or get into trouble with Anna's brother. It's better if we left them alone, don't you think?"

Kei sighed. That was true.

"They both looked so beautiful though," Akemi murmured as if to herself. She was not jealous of Anna's beauty, but she was a bit wistful, wishing that she was as pretty as that.

The wind gently blew her long curly hair around her. Kei frowned. He did take note that Anna looked so beautiful in her dress, like a perfectly crafted doll but didn't Akemi also take note of the fact that she was quite beautiful too?

* * *

Mikoto's grip on her wrist was hard and Anna was quite sure that she would have bruises on her hand tomorrow. He had dragged her away during Akemi and Kei's quarreling.

"Mikoto," Anna whimpered. He stopped at the sound of her voice and turned around to look at her.

He released her hand slowly and she brought it to her chest where she used her other hand to gently rub at it.

A slight wind blew and shifted her hair slightly, causing the long waves of it to lightly brush his shoulders as she stood before him.

Curious about her uniquely white hair, Mikoto gently took hold of a strand of it at the side of her face, and allowed his sense of touch to imprint in his mind the softness and thickness of it.

_The doll-like face remained sleeping on his pillow, with its cheek lying comfortably on it. Mikoto, leaning on an arm with an unlit cigarette reached out and caught hold of a strand of her hair between his fingers. Idly, he fiddled with the hair before he tucked the strand of hair behind her ear with his large fingers._

_His motions seemed to have disturbed her for her eyebrows narrowed slightly before relaxing again. Mikoto removed his cigarette from his mouth, lowered his head to hers and pressed his nose at her temple, gently rubbing it there. One of his arms went around her waist and drew her closer to his warmth to ensure that she returned to her restful nap. _

Mikoto's hand moved upward to touch the top of her head.

Anna watched on silently as he lowered his head and nudged her cheek, before dragging his nose upward to touch her temple.

The scent of her there, this particular area made him want to just grip her tightly and keep nuzzling her until they both slept away.

_He pushed her onto her back, so that he could have access to both her temples and the soft hair there. _

Slowly, Mikoto drew back his face. He knew she would get tired if he continued.

Slowly Mikoto removed his hand from her hair and she realized that her red ribbon was in his hand. That hand lowered to her arm and slowly, his calloused hand soothed downward until it came to stop at the back of her hand.

He lifted it up, the ribbon entwined between his fingers that leaned against hers, and the wind causing the long ends to wrap around Anna's hand.

He observed the red marks left about her wrist caused by his tight hold. Her skin was so white, and so pale that it was easy for it to get bruised. As much as he disliked seeing marks on her skin, such as when he pinched her cheek, he also found himself somehow...fascinated but how it marked.

The two ends of the ribbon hand fallen over her palm as Mikoto lifted her hand again. He lowered his head to her wrist and pressed a soft kiss against the red marks, while Anna remained stunned by the sweet gesture.

"You're tied me," he said softly her.

_His life, his very sanity seemed to have become dependent on this little human of his who indulged in his warmth and quieted his riotous heart. _

She looked at him, confused.

When she blinked at him, he explained, "You're my clansman. You belong with me. No one else,"

_'Not even Kei' _was his unspoken words that Anna understood.

_She was **his** princess._

She nodded and Mikoto let go of her hand, but kept her ribbon in his. He proceeded to retie it into her hair.

Of course his bows were not as perfect as hers, but then he never wore ribbons.

"Anna," Mikoto said her name when he was finished.

She looked up at him. He lowered his head and lay his forehead against hers. His golden eyes looked deeply into her own ones.

His hands went to her waist and cupped her sides here.

"Anna," he repeated her name so that his warm breath fanned her face.

"Yes, Mikoto?" she whispered softly.

The atmosphere around them was so soothing and so quiet, save for the rustling of the leaves caused by the wind. Hardly a soul was around and even if there was, that person was minding their own business.

Anna's soft hair was brushing Mikoto's cheeks and his own red hair was pressed against her forehead, making her realize that he texture of his hair hadn't changed from his twenty six year old self for it was soft despite the different style.

Mikoto let out a soft sigh and drew back his head. Then, he lowered his head again and moved it to the side of her head where his hot breath touched her ear.

"Don't ever wear this dress again," he ordered abruptly, shocking her.

* * *

"I don't have a grudge against him! I just like following after him to watch everything he does because I'm a sick, psychotic person!" Chie snapped as she whipped her binoculars in the direction of Iwao-sensei again. Fushimi wondered if Chie even realized what she had said to him, or that she was showing a completely different face to him than the one she showed in school; school-girl Chie was strict, disciplined and adhered to the rules. This Chie was pissed off, bad tempered and looked like she would punch his lights out if she got a chance.

Well, school-girl Chie seemed to want to do that, but this Chie looked like she actually would do it.

She let out a frustrated noise. "Thanks to you I've lost him!" she snapped and moved to stalk past him.

However, he caught her arm as she walked, forcing her to come to a stop and look at him.

The wind was coming up more strongly, whipping their hair effectively.

"Who do you want justice for, Chie-san?" Saruhiko questioned.

Chie glowered at him. "The world," she spat and pulled her arm away, walking away from Fushimi to go in search of the potentially perverted teacher.

Saruhiko snorted as he watched her go with his hands shoved in his pockets. "Or the world that matters to you, Chie-san," he murmured to himself.

* * *

Anna attempted to step back from Mikoto as she sensed his temper flare at her. However, his hands at her waist gripped her easily.

He was still very strong.

"If you ever wear that dress again, I will take it off myself, and put you in something else instead," he threatened.

Anna was stunned by his words. It seemed that his bad tempered younger self was speaking out and the rationale of his twenty six year old self was being ignored.

Or at least that was what she assumed.

"I don't understand," she told him, wide-eyed.

One of his hands, large as it was for a fourteen year old, slid to the front of her stomach. His entire palm seemed to fit on its surface area as it moved upward slowly. She could feel the heat of his hand through her clothing and Anna knew for sure that Mikoto was angry about something.

His hand stopped just under the bodice of her dress and formed into a fist. Then it lifted off from her before two fingers reached out and pulled the top of the bodice upward as if trying to cover up more of the expanse of her upper body that was revealed.

Anna's cheeks reddened. "What are you doing?" she gasped in surprised.

Blankly, Mikoto answered, "You're showing off too much,"

"I am not!" she denied and pushed his hand away.

However, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her hard against him so that her body fit against the long, lean length of his. It was quite a difference with his smaller stature for she felt as though she could feel every ridge of muscle and bone of his body against her. With his older self, she barely made it past his elbow without heels.

Although he did not display a lot of anger, the tightness with which he held her and the red glow of his eyes indicated his mood and he pressed his mouth against her temple as he whispered harshly, "You're outgrowing that dress too quickly and it's fitting too tightly on you. Don't ever wear it or I will strip you out of it myself. Understand?"

Anna, stunned by his temper and his words nodded.

"Good girl," he praised her and kissed her cheek before releasing her. Mikoto turned to go but paused when it seemed that Anna was not moving. He shot her a meaningful look over his shoulder, snapping her out of her stunned daze.

She hesitantly took hold of his hand again and allowed him to lead her to the designated area where Natsume would meet them. However rough he might be at times, Anna knew he wouldn't deliberately hurt her. He was still her King; her Mikoto with the prettiest red and she would remain his princess forever.

* * *

Seri came to a stop in front of her apartment when she saw a familiar man leaning against her door. Dark haired with pretty features for a man made her King quite handsome. His long arms were folded and one leg was lifted, pressed against the door as he waited for her arrival.

Upon sight of her, he gave a little smile, which looked more like a smirk.

Seri's mind went blank for a moment as she fought hard to think of what to say to the man. She had deliberately avoided him for a few days after that strange, intimate incident and he clearly knew she was keeping away from him.

"Awashima-kun. I can't remember the last time I went without seeing your face for so long," Munakata told her.

Although there was no condemnation in his voice meant to offend her, Seri replied with cool politeness, "I apologize if my presence wearies you, sir,"

If Reisi Munakata was surprised by her words, or irked in anyway by it, he did not show it. He merely adjusted his glasses as he moved back to allow Seri to open her door.

He stood behind her as she searched her purse for her keys.

"You're upset with me," he stated.

"I'm not upset with you, _sir_," she replied as she hastily pulled out her keys. She didn't think she was, but her voiced seemed to be revealing some level of vexation with him.

She wanted to be away from him right now. She needed to figure herself out, and her feelings for Reisi Munakata and Izumo Kusanagi.

She slid the key into the lock on the doorknob.

However, before she could shove open the door and make a quick escape, Reisi's large hand covered her slender, feminine one that was on the doorknob.

She was reminded of that day when he had been there, using that very hand to massage her shoulders. She could still feel his callouses from his sword-fights, and the strength of his hands and the way they pressed and rubbed sensuously into her skin.

"Awashima-kun," he said her name simply and the anger she had unwittingly been holding against her king drained out of her.

It seemed he realized for her withdrew his hand.

Seri turned around slowly and leaned against the door. She looked up at her King. He was giving her a frown as he folded his arms again, eying her with dissatisfaction.

Reisi was wearing on a white shirt with a pin striped tie and black slacks. He was quite neat and clean cut looking. It was something Seri always admired about him; even in the worst fights he emerged looking as though he just stepped out of his apartment to get ready for work.

The only time he had been a bit disheveled had been due to the fight with the red King about a year and half ago.

It had been agony for her, waiting for this man she respected so much to return for she had known that he could have wound up in a grave from that incident.

"You're not very disciplined today, are you?" he commented, not in a critical tone, but in one with gentle concern.

"I've been feeling a bit under the weather," she fibbed.

Reisi gave her a look that showed that he knew she was lying. After a long moment of having dark eyes seemingly penetrate her soul, Reisi suggested to her, "Have a drink with me, Awashima-kun,"

"A drink?" she repeated.

He nodded and held out his hand to her. "Fushimi is already in my apartment. He's agreed to drink with you and I as long as he not forced to drink anything red bean paste-based. He claims to have developed an allergy against it,"

Reisi's words suggested to Seri that he must have planned for the three of them to be together that evening, whether for a more social reason or a work-related one, it was probably really because Reisi was trying to get things back on proper footing in his work relationship with her.

That was one of the reasons why she respected and liked Reisi so much; he tried when he felt it necessary.

* * *

"I don't like it," Anna told Mikoto flatly.

She was wearing a red dress with an incredibly bulky skirt with a shapeless bodice and a shade of red that even _Anna_ hated.

"It serves the purpose," Mikoto said with a shrug. Since they had passed some shops along the way, Mikoto had decided that they should take a detour since there were some dress stores along the way and Mikoto seemed incredibly peeved by her outfit. They wound up in this store and he stopped by a rack of ratty, ugly dresses and had pulled out the first red one he saw without really observing it.

She knew her dress was getting a bit small because she was growing but she was quite sure it could last a couple weeks more and that Mikoto didn't need to get so upset about it. She wondered why he had even _become_ upset only just now. After all, he hadn't said anything much earlier.

As Anna shut the dressing room's door with Mikoto standing like a guard outside of it, making the shopkeepers think she was some high class rich girl, Mikoto thought back on how he come to suddenly warn her about her dress:

Well, he wouldn't admit it, but his mind was very slow in some areas like this.

So slow that he didn't even realize when it was processing something.

Hadn't it taken days for him to realize Anna was very pretty from the viewpoint of a fourteen year old?

Well, his mind had been processing something about the dress that was linked to Anna's prettiness. He had been thinking that she looked very nice in it and that she looked older.

Older Anna meant more curvy Anna.

More curvy Anna meant more guys looking at Anna.

More guys looking at Anna due to an already more-curvy-than-necessary-Anna Kushina translated into Mikoto's mind that he himself needed to have a good look at her dress.

So all the while he had been indulging in that pretty hair of hers after they had left Akemi and Kei, he had also come to the conclusion from the tightness of her dress at her waist, and the lowness of it at the bodice (it was actually very decent but in Mikoto's mind, anything lower than high-necked was too low), too much of her overdeveloped curves were showing and therefore more perverts were eying her.

Mikoto could not have that.

He would dress her like an old lady if he had to in order to protect her from freaks.

And prying eyes.

And idiots like Kei Junichi.

The brat still grated Mikoto's nerves because he sensed that the boy liked Anna quite a lot and if for a moment he was able to sweep Anna away with his charm, Mikoto would loose her forever because their relationship could never go back to being what it was if she belonged to another male.

It took the remembrance of Natsume's assurance of his position in her heart to calm him a bit: '_…Mikoto, you stand above all others. And that isn't going to change. Ever'. _

Mikoto did actually believe that but it didn't mean he liked Kei around Anna.

His lion-like behavior considered Anna his territory and Kei, despite probably being a minuscule threat to what was his, was still a threat and he did not like him for that simple reason and he only tolerated the guy for Anna's sake.

And his instincts still told him that something wasn't right with the guy.

However, he did sense that Kei was not a bad a guy and as insincere as Mikoto did believe that he was in terms of his personality, he also had to admit that the guy really did act like that simply because he wanted to be among people and enjoy time with them.

Grudgingly, Mikoto admitted to himself that he could actually ease up on Kei.

And pridefully, he knew that Kei had nothing on him when it came to Anna so his heart decided to not despise or fret so much anymore over the boy.

Unless he got all 'touchy and feely' with Anna. No, no Mikoto would have _none_ of that.

"Mikoto," came Anna's voice.

She was wearing on another red and white dress, just like the one they had gone on their date on, only this one was a little more loose; perhaps a size larger.

"Why are you wearing that?" he demanded.

Anna strode out of the room with her older dress in one hand. "I like this," she responded and walked in the direction of the cashier. Mikoto followed closely behind.

"I don't like it,"

Anna stopped and turned around. She looked up at him indignantly. "Well, _I_ like it," she retorted, clearly not impressed with his attitude.

Mikoto narrowed his eyes. "You like it?" he repeated with deadly softness.

However, Anna's eyes were spitting fire at him even if the rest of her face did not show it.

"You're upset that I've grown a pair," she said as she spun around and made her way through the clothing aisles to pay for the dress.

Mikoto caught her arm in a firm grip.

"You've grown a pair of what? _Balls_?" he demanded, his fourteen year old self not hesitant at about using crude language with her.

Anna knew what 'growing a pair of balls' meant because the guys at Homra used it enough in her presence.

"_You should have grown a pair of balls and told the chick you loved her, Bando-san!" Yata snapped his comrade._

"_I was in kindergarten! How was I to know what to do?" Bando retorted._

_Yata, despite his smaller stature, grabbed Bando by the collar and shook him. "Kindergarten isn't an excuse to let your balls shrivel up and die, dumbass!"_

_Anna, overhearing the two while enjoying her huge plate omurice, asked Tatara while still eating, "What kind of balls are they talking about?"_

_Tatara, beside her, chuckled. "It's just a way men communicate with each other and tell each other to be a little braver,"_

Anna thought about a time when she had used that expression herself:

_"Yata-chan is so nervous around girls," Izumo commented when the young man nervously bid the last female customer goodbye. _

_"He needs to grow a pair of balls," Anna agreed._

_Izumo was shocked at her words. As was Mikoto, sitting beside her with a drink in his hand. The two watched her in stunned silence. Yata had overheard her as well and his mouth had dropped open in shock. Chitose, sitting in a nearby table, burst out in laughter with Shohei who was drinking with him. _

_"Shut the hell up you two!" Yata shouted when he regained his senses. _

_"But she's right!" Chitose exclaimed. _

_"F*** you!" Yata snapped and flipped him his middle finger. "Where the heck did Anna learn that kind of language?!" he wanted to know and quite ignorant of the fact that he had just cursed her presence. Izumo whacked him on the head for that. _

_"Yes, who taught you that?" Izumo asked and wondered if she even knew what she was saying. Clearly she did for she used the expression appropriately. Someone obviously had to have taught it to her. _

_Anna lay down the glass of red juice she was drinking. "That's what Misaki said to Bando once,"_

_That seemed to make Chitose and Shohei laugh even louder, understanding the irony of the fact that she had used that expression on him for a similar incident to the one he had used it on for Bando. _

_Izumo smiled evilly. "Is that so? And how do you know what it means?"_

_Anna tilted her head to the side. "Tatara told me,"_

_"Did he explain what balls were?"_

_"He just said it was men's language," Anna answered._

_Tatara had come into the bar sporting his movie camera while Anna and the others watched as Izumo caught hold of Yata's head, squeezing it. "Really, Yata-chan, how many times have I told you not to use such language in the presence of a young lady?"_

_Yata squirmed in his hold. "How come Tatara's not getting punished?!"_

_"Because I didn't say anything wrong," Tatara responded but still got whacked on the head by Mikoto. _

_"Ouch! what was that for?!"_

_Mikoto gave him a look that suggested that he probably should have lied and said something else to Anna. _

_"Don't ever say that again," Mikoto instructed her. Anna didn't question why. She just accepted her King's order. _

Anna turned to Mikoto again and pushed his arm away. The 'pair' she was talking about wasn't the 'balls' men referred to. She only learned that those 'balls' referred to a particular part of the male anatomy and it had been Kei who had explained it to her when he had been commenting about a particularly cowardly guy before. Anna understood only then why Mikoto hadn't want her to say things like that.

"Breasts, Mikoto," she corrected her King.

Mikoto's cheeks went scarlet red for he actually recalled that embarrassing talk he had had with her. It was something he had tried to shelve in his mind and had almost succeeded at doing.

Until she brought it up again.

"Boobs," she continued, making Mikoto feel like choking on his own spit because that was what he had felt like doing during the time he had tried to have that talk with her.

"There are strange people out there Anna," he warned her after he struggled to find his voice that seemed to want to die away at her subtle reminder of that incident.

"I understand that," she admitted. "but Mikoto is being unreasonable."

"I am _not_ being unreasonable," he denied as they resumed walking to the cashier. They joined the long line, neither caring that their attractiveness had called the attention of the surrounding people, both male and female.

"Overprotective then,"

Mikoto growled at her, somewhere above her head. "I let you come whenever we're out doing dangerous stuff, don't I?"

"That's different,"

"It's not," he retorted. He had the recollection of allowing her to be a witness to some of the underground world's darkest criminals-as long as she remained at _his_ side.

"_King, is it alright to take Anna with us?" Tatara questioned as he pulled a warm jacket around the small child. _

"_She wants to come along, doesn't she?" Mikoto pointed out as he walked toward the door of the bar._

_Tatara, as trusting as he was of the King, wasn't quite sure he agreed with his actions. _

_Izumo passed them and paused to pull up Anna's hood. She looked up at him and blinked her wide grey eyes, making Izumo almost go 'Aww...' because she was so cute. He couldn't help but pat her head the way he would a puppy or a kitten. _

"_Anna's alright with this," Izumo stated. She nodded and hurried over to Mikoto's side, taking hold of the sleeve of his black jacket. _

_Mikoto glanced down at her while she looked up at him. It seemed that some silent understanding passed between them. _

_Although he never said anything, Mikoto always made sure she was at his side while they made their way to their destination. He would ensure that she did not see the bloodiest fights and if it got too violent, he would have her taken away by another strong member of Homra, once he was certain that she would be safe enough._

It seemed that Mikoto wanted to protect Anna even when he was not around from any freaks out there. She realized this and decided it would be best to ignore him because he would just remain adamant about his behavior.

"Tsk. Teenagers," Mikoto muttered behind her. Anna held back a sigh, and decided that this might not be a good time to remind him that he currently was one too.

Meanwhile, Mikoto figured that okay, so he was being unreasonable...and overprotective. Mikoto admitted that much-although he wouldn't tell her that.

In fact, Anna was surprised that when they reached the top of the line, Mikoto pulled out a credit card and handed it to the cashier. It seemed that he had relented somehow.

It didn't mean that he was apologizing for being suffocating with her since Mikoto was not really one to say he was sorry because although he might admit his behavior was overbearing, he would not believe in anyway that he was wrong for acting like that but would still compromise on some level with her.

"Mikoto, you didn't have to," she said shyly as they walked out of the shop with her carrying her older dress in a bag given to her from the store as, for the sake of pleasing Mikoto, she wore on the new dress.

He shrugged. "The last dress was our gift to you. It wouldn't be fair if you bought the same one again yourself,"

Neither realized that people in the shop were admiring the two, thinking it was sweet of the boyfriend to get his young girlfriend's dress for her and how attractive the pair looked.

* * *

"How is it?" Munakata asked the pair sitting before him. They were drinking the tea he had made.

A special type which he claimed had a 'special ingredient' in it.

"It's good," Fushimi admitted.

Munakata seemed to have really considered her for he had had a special container of red bean paste which he used to custom make her tea for her. After all, Fushimi could not have any of the red sweet stuff because of his 'allergy'.

"Sir, your special ingredient wouldn't happen to be...whisky, would it?" Seri questioned.

Munakata nodded after taking a drink of his own tea. "Yes, if mixed right, it can actually be medicinal,"

It tasted really good and Seri figured that it wouldn't hurt to have a little more.

* * *

"I've been waiting a while for you both. What happened?" Natsume questioned when Anna and Mikoto came up to her car, parked quietly at the side of the road.

"Her friends probably blew our cover," Mikoto told her and explained what had happened when they climbed into the car.

"Well, it's good that you stopped following him completely so that he wouldn't get suspicious," Natsume commented.

Mikoto nodded. He and Anna were in the backseat, Natsume in the front.

Anna was unusually quiet. Well, she was always quiet but it was like there was this extra silence about her.

Mikoto noted that there was a drop of sweat sliding down her forehead.

"You alright?" he questioned with a frown. She shook her head.

"I feel nauseous," she answered.

Natsume, with her eyes still on the road gave a little frown.

"Mikoto, could you please lend Anna your lap until we get home?"

He nodded and immediately Anna lay her head on his hard thigh, with her cheek against the dark blue material of his denims.

Her long, long white hair spilled over his legs and all around him and he was almost concerned that he would get tangled up in the alabaster mass.

However, he was more concerned about Anna's health. He didn't like hearing that she was nauseous, especially after she had been eating so well these days.

* * *

She was drunk. She didn't show it, but Seri was drunk.

So was Fushimi. He had passed out on the grown, muttering something about 'Misaki' and 'stupid girls'.

Reisi was making another round of spiked tea.

"Sir...did you do this deliberately?" she questioned slowly and inwardly praised herself for not slurring her words. She was still had some of her proper mind to not want Reisi to realize that she was not sober.

Reisi seemed normal. At least she thought so.

"How could I have done it deliberately if you kept drinking more at your own choice?" Reisi pointed out reasonably, not realizing that he hadn't even asked what she was referring to.

His voice had a slight slur, indicating that he was more drunk than he was letting on and was therefore _not_ in a normal frame of mind.

"Because you offered me more and it would have been rude to decline," Seri retorted.

Reisi chuckled. "Ah, perhaps that is true but you could have left at any time,"

Seri tsked.

She tsked in the presence of her king.

That indicated displeasure of some sort.

Displeasure was not something one showed to the Blue King, Munakata Reisi.

"Something wrong, Awashima?" he asked her.

She managed to lift her tea cup as elegantly as Japanese culture allowed for, "You're a strange man, sir,"

"Oh? Stranger than your friend from the Red Clan?" Reisi asked with a polite smile.

Seri immediately set down her cup.

"I'm quite sure he couldn't have made you tea as good as this despite being such a great bartender,"

Seri knew he was heckling her in some way. Even with her drunkenness, she understood that much-and got _very_ offended.

"He would have made it better," she stated coldly.

Reisi froze at her words.

He narrowed his eyes at her, quite displeased and Seri noted he had a dull red flush on his high cheekbones.

"Your bartender would have?" he repeated softly and darkly.

"He would have," Seri affirmed unapologetically.

* * *

Anna lay down on her back in the bed of her bedroom. To her dismay, her cycle had come and had come rather unexpectedly. Thankfully, it was an hour after they had arrived home that she had begun to feel bad cramps.

Mikoto had been sleeping like a lazy lion while she had been running through some of the activities of her club with Natsume when she had suddenly felt that familiar, terrible pain of her lower stomach. Natsume had hurried her off to the Medical Faculty of Seneca.

She was not in the kind of pain as she had been in the previous months and they were therefore more keen on keeping her off the morphine as much as possible because of how easily she could become addicted to it.

They therefore prescribed weaker medications for her.

However, she was still bleeding heavily, and still hurting, but they still allowed her to go to Natsume's household because Natsume could personally monitor her.

It was dark and Anna was currently lying on her back on her bed, hugging Lion-O in one arm as she gazed up at the ceiling in the darkened room. It had been a long day that had started off really interestingly and she had truly enjoyed it, even when Akemi and Kei had been spying on them, even when she had Mikoto had had their disagreements in the store.

Even when Mikoto threatened her about her clothes.

Then this just _had_ to happen.

Sometimes she really hated being a girl.

The door to her room opened softly and the light from the outside hallway revealed two figures.

It was Natsume and Mikoto.

Natsume was wearing a long sleeved, ankle length pink robe. Mikoto, however, was actually wearing on pajamas which consisted of thick, black bottoms and a long sleeved gray top. Normally Mikoto would trade in his daytime jeans for a softer pair of pants to sleep in but would keep his customary t-shirts on because he was never really one to care for what he wore to bed.

Anna realized that he probably got the pajamas from Natsume and they had come from some closet she had full of Ryosuke's old things. Mikoto just wore them on for the sake of wearing them.

"Natsume-san? Mikoto?" she murmured.

She did not sit up. She felt that shifting her position might aggravate her stomach and cause her to hurt more.

"It seems your King was dead sleeping while you went to the hospital and back. He wants to see you,"

Anna nodded and watched as Mikoto entered the room and walked around her bed to come to her left side. She could see his lovely red in his chest area and hair. It comforted her.

He sat beside her while Natsume also entered and switched on the lamp on her nightstand, flooding the room with a dim light.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly.

She shook her head.

She wasn't feeling well at all. She was still in pain despite the painkillers she had been administered and even she was not too keen on taking morphine again.

"Mikoto, perhaps you could help her," Natsume said.

Two pairs of eyes were on the older woman. She smiled gently.

"Place your hand on her lower stomach, a little lower than just under her navel,"

Mikoto obeyed and rested his hand there, on the soft material of her nightdress.

"Now release some of your power, not too much though. Anna, if it gets too hot, tell him," Natsume instructed.

Anna nodded and closed her eyes, relishing the feel of the warmth invading her twisting insides and she let out a sigh of relief for it the warmth soothed her cramped insides, easing her pain away.

"Better?" Mikoto questioned.

She turned her head to look up at him. With a tiny smile, she nodded.

Natsume watched in surprise as Mikoto shifted until he was lying beside Anna. Even though he had turned off his aura, his hand remained on her stomach and unwittingly, his thumb was lightly stroking it, as if unconsciously, he was soothing her.

Natsume wasn't particularly one to feel comfortable about teenagers sleeping together, and maybe she could have a talk with Anna about it later on but she knew now was not the time. There was a relieved and contented expression on Anna's face that Natsume had never seen Anna show during her cycles and therefore, she quietly left the room after switching of the lamp, knowing that it was safe.

Mikoto was still the King after all.

* * *

At some point in time, Seri had fallen asleep. She stirred when she felt the shifting of her clothing and the sound of her necklaces moving. Her eyebrows scrunched up in annoyance for she did not want to open her eyes.

However, she was slowly becoming aware of a pounding headache that refused to let her keep her eyes closed. She slowly opened them and the same time, heard a door being shut.

Seri sat up. She could barely recall what happened last night, only that she had had too much spiked tea to drink and she, her King and Fushimi had all gotten drunk on it.

Seri heard someone release a loud breath beside her and she realized that Reisi Munakata was lying beside her, dressed in the same clothes as earlier, on the cold, bare ground.

She had drifted off beside him. She looked around and realized that Fushimi wasn't there. He must have been the one who left through the door.

And adjusted her clothing.

Seri frowned at that.

_What the hell had happened?!_

She stood up and searched around for her purse. In it, she checked the time.

It was 2:30 am. She had been in Reisi's apartment for at least five and a half hours and she had no idea how long she had fallen asleep for.

She wanted to leave right away, but she felt bad about leaving Reisi dead sleeping on the ground. She didn't want to wake him either because she had some vague recollection of arguing with him and she didn't know how he would react to her, especially if he was still drunk.

She hesitated but made her way to his bedroom. Since his apartment was just like hers, she knew that it was the first door to the right of the living room.

Upon opening it, she entered a room that still had a light on, revealing pristine neatness: a simple futon on the ground, a dresser to the left and a wardrobe at the right.

Seri grabbed up the futon and took it to the living room where Reisi was still sleeping on the ground.

She covered as quickly and quietly as she could before she hurried out of the apartment and to her own which was only two doors away.

* * *

Mikoto was lying on his side beside Anna while she remained flat on her back. However, her head was turned so that it buried against Mikoto's neck, right under her chin. It was a cool night and she was grateful for his warmth.

"Are you alright now?" he questioned.

She nodded while his hand gently rubbed her stomach, right under her navel. Anna was wondering if he was aware of what he was doing. Whether he was or wasn't, she was feeling very soothed by him.

"I'm sorry..." she murmured.

Mikoto stiffened before he lifted his head and looked down at her with a deep frown. "Why?"

"It must be bothersome," she replied.

Mikoto sighed and lay his head down on the pillow again. "It's not,"

Anna accepted that. If she was being a bother, he would tell for he was a person of brutal, blatant honesty to the point of where he could be considered stupid for it.

She lay her head beside his again and tucked it comfortably under his chin. She knew that she might have to get up a few times in the night to get changed and hoped that she wouldn't disturb him too much when she did.

"Is it always this bad?" Mikoto asked her. He was normally not a man to be concerned about 'women issues' but because this involved Anna's welfare, he was curious.

"It's usually worse," she replied.

She sensed a shift in his mood. He was probably feeling a bit sorry for her. She didn't blame him.

When she was in pain she normally felt sorry for herself too.

"How do you manage in school?"

"Sometimes I miss two days in one week," she answered. "but I try not to miss too many classes. Even if I feel a bit weak."

"I see," Mikoto murmured.

Mikoto had to admit to himself that Anna was truly a strong person, perhaps stronger than even him. Not in the sense of physical power, but emotionally and mentally. She bore more physical and emotional pain from infancy due to her power as a strain and now that she was older, she was still bearing a great deal of pain. It was not nice what she had to go through, but she was bearing it and even if she was a generally a quiet person, she still was sweet and kind in her own way and not hateful toward the world for what she had to go through.

Mikoto knew that she was an amazing person, and secretly, he admired her, and even if she didn't know it, his older self took a great deal of pride in her when he received reports from Natsume on her progress in school. The only person who had an idea of how pleased he was Izumo because Izumo knew him well enough to be able to sense his moods.

"Mikoto?" Anna murmured his name.

"Mm?" he grunted, half asleep.

Anna hadn't realized he was already drifting and she felt sorry for bothering him again, but she had already caught his attention, so she continued, "How do you know Natsume?"

Mikoto took a moment to reply. Sleepily, he asked her, "Didn't you ever ask her?"

Mikoto felt her warm breath on his neck as she answered, "No,"

She had never really thought to ask because when she had first come to Seneca, she had been an emotional wreck who hid herself behind a doll-like mask. Her rest of time in Seneca was always so busy with club activities and then her cycle would drain her for close to two week so she had never really settled down and spoken to Natsume about it.

"Yuki Natsume knew my parents," Mikoto responded.

Anna tilted her head upward and watched Mikoto with slightly widened eyes. She blinked. "Mikoto had parents?"

Mikoto gave her an annoyed look and lifted his hand from her stomach to pinch her cheek. "How else do you think I came into the world, you brat?"

He released her cheek quickly, remembering that she was already feeling unwell.

"I just never really pictured Mikoto with parents," Anna answered. In fact, when she had first met him, she had seen into his soul using her glass marbles and although she did not know every detail of his life, she did not in any way sense that he had any influence from a mother or father.

Mikoto shrugged. "My parents died and my grandfather raised me,"

Anna, recalling what she knew about Mikoto from her power, felt that yes, that fit in perfectly and made sense. She also felt compassionate toward him about it. From what she knew, his grandfather hadn't exactly been a loving person. He had been respectable, but not loving at all.

"Natsume came to Shizume City looking for me when I was a kid because of my parents. She and her husband had known them well,"

"Really?" Anna whispered.

"Yeah,"

"Mikoto?"

"Mm?" He was falling asleep again.

"Didn't you ever want to see your parents again?"

She felt a movement from him that might have been a shrug. "My mother probably," he replied. It seemed he didn't care very much to think about his father.

"Mikoto," she started again

"Anna," Mikoto cut in.

She stopped. He sighed and lifted his head. He gave her a quick kiss where he had pinched her cheek.

"You're tired," he told her gruffly. It was true. Dark circles had gathered under her eyes and she needed to sleep, and so did he.

Anna nodded. It was perhaps best to really go into dreamland now, and at least she knew that Mikoto would be beside her throughout the night. As she drifted off, she vaguely felt Lion-O being taken from her and shoved somewhere else.

_When Anna slept, her breathing pattern remained at a constant pace. When she woke up, as she was doing now, her breath would completely still before she opened her eyes. _

_The first thing she saw was a large hand slightly fisted into sheet in front of her face. A silver ring lay on its index finger. She was spooned against a wonderfully warm familiar body. She smiled slightly and closed her eyes again, soothed by the presence and warmth of the man whose arms she was sleeping in._

* * *

Seri stood in front of her bathroom mirror, stunned at the sight of herself: her hair was loose and badly disheveled. Her shirt was another disarray, and the two strands of beaded pearl necklaces she wore on was in such a bad tangle that she was quite sure that she could have been choked to death by them. It taken her a long time to unloosen them.

But what bothered her was the fact that she hadn't undone any of the buttons of her clothing, and why had Fushimi been messing around with it?

Although she did admit to herself that she had a thing for men with glasses, she and Fushimi were in no way attracted to each other and he wouldn't try anything perverted on her when drunk.

Right?

It was then that Seri figured she should take a shower. So she unbuttoned the rest of her shirt and as soon as she revealed her collar bone, she stopped.

She was stunned at what she saw in the mirror in front of her.

A red mark. An almost perfectly circular red mar to her skin that she only just realized was throbbing almost pleasurably.

This was a bite mark.

Seri Awashima had gone to her King's apartment and had drunk spiked tea with him and one of their subordinates to the point of where they had gotten so drunk that she could hardly remember anything and when she woke up, it was only because someone had been messing around with her clothing and her King was sleeping beside her.

And now there was a _hickey_ on her neck.

_What the hell had happened?!_

"Fushimi," Seri growled. She was going to get answers from him even if she had wring his neck.

* * *

**A/N: I'm not sure when next I will be updating because I have an important exam coming up next week, so if I don't update this weekend, it might be late sometime next week when I do. **

**I always got the impression from K that the female characters have a kind of...obsession with their Kings...**

**Seri has a hickey o.O**

**I wonder what happened? And who gave it to her?**

****I don't know if heat actually helps with cramps. I just made that assumption from an ad I once saw. **

************VERY IMPORTANT: I might end the story after I wrap up things with Iwao. However, I WILL do a sequel to the story, basically continuing it because the rating may have to change from 'T' to 'M' for future chapters. I mightn't write stuff with lemons etc...but I would feel safer posting my work under an 'M' rating in case I change my mind. **

**Thank you all for the lovely reviews on the last chapter, they meant so much to me and they really motivated me for this one:**

**Mizuouji: Yes, I read the chapter! It made me laugh a lot. Thanks so much to you and the rest of the team from Aqua Scans for all your hard work. I also got a smile on my face thanks to you! I'm also looking forward to the next chapter to get a little more insight into Fushimi and Yata's relationship. It looks really interesting. **

**xNightDreamerx: Hey your mom must be pretty cool if you're comfortable enough to fangirl around her! Thanks for your wonderful review, I truly appreciate it :)**

**LindyLinn: Did you check out the manga? Hope you did, it's really great ^_^**

**Mienchan-ish: Your prayers must be working 'cause I'm much better now! Thanks :)**

**Indochine: I'll write more stuff with Chie and Iwao soon :) Hm...I'm worried about how you feel about the parts with Seri/Reisi in this chapter. Don't worry I'll write in some Seri/Izumo soon. Well, Akemi really did get his attention away from the pair even though she was quite curious about the two as well :)**

**Arius the Heretic: Aww...I'm sorry I had you worried...and sorry to hear about all those projects an finals. Don't worry, I feel your pain :( Well, yeah Mikoto does have to get back to his proper state eventually :( Hope you liked this chapter a lot too, and thanks for your lovely review :)**

**Bre Renee: I always do because you're been reviewing since like the first chapter of this story! Just letting me know your thoughts on the chapter really is important to me because it lets me know you're enjoying it and I truly appreciate that. I wouldn't mind seeing the Jack the Giant Slayer, but what I'm looking forward to is the Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp. I just hope it isn't the Western version of Pirates of the Caribbean. Lol. I'm glad you really liked what was going on the chapter and Mikoto's outfit is pretty cool. I guess those guys from Gora have a really awesome sense of style. Well, they have a really good sense of how to make attractive character because no one in K can be described as ugly...except one or two bad guys maybe.**

**kuronekousako: No I won't make you wait a thousand years! Even if we lived that long I wouldn't make you wait so long ;) You'll know later on what becomes of the two :)**

**nannerlovessnickers: Well I'm not sure if you read this chapter for your birthday or not but I hope you liked this one too. I have watched some of the anime for Kaichou-wa Maid sama, mainly because it was so funny. OMG, that and Skip Beat just had me rolling with laughter. Thanks for those nice words about the chapter :) By the way, I hope you enjoy your birthday to the fullest and may God bless you with many more birthdays to come!**

**princessforeveralone: I'm much better now and thank you for those really, really nice words about the story. That truly means a lot to me, so thank you so much :)**

**D: I'm much better now! Although I should be staying away ice-cream because it makes my tonsils swell...but I mean it's ice-cream! Who can resist? You're right about Chie and Emi being there for a purpose of bringing some growth to Yata and Fushimi :) Lol, Kei and Akemi truly are stalkers :)**

**Some Reviewer: You might be right, because the story does seem to be heading that direction. OR there could be some misunderstanding because Iwao was not convicted for the sexual assault charges laid against him. Hm...Anyway, you really like Chie so much? Thank you for that because I know most people aren't welcoming to OCs, especially because I know a lot of the K fans ship Yata and Fushimi together. I'm not a fan of yaoi or shonen-ai but I do like the idea of 'bromance'. Thanks for your wonderful review!**

**Nobody Special: My Special Reviewer! *HUGS* You really complimented me with wonderful words that are truly motivational and they make me so happy :) Aww...you're welcome! I look forward to hearing from you again :)**

**Thank you, all of you who also followed and favorite this story. It means a lot to me, so thank you. **

**Let me know your thoughts on this chapter.**

**God bless.**

**PS: I promise more Seri/Izumo stuff for those looking forward to it :)**


	38. The Kiss That Never Came

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**A/N: Fushimi is very OOC, borderlining crack in this chapter. There's a logical reason for it, but I'm just giving a forewarning. Also, this chapter focuses a great deal on Seri/Izumo/Reisi but don't worry, this is a story on Anna and Mikoto and these two will remain the story's main focus. **_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Chapter 38: The Kiss that Never Came

Anna had awakened a few times during the night to get changed.

She couldn't deny that she had been very spoiled toward Mikoto to keep him close to her.

The first time she woke up, she was in the same position as she had fallen asleep in with Mikoto: on her back with her head tucked under his chin while he lay on his side with his long arm curved over her stomach. The only difference was that it had moved to be above her belly button.

She could feel his soft breath and was so comfortably warm beside him.

But she knew she had to move and go change before she leaked blood all over the bedding. That wasn't something she was keen on doing with Mikoto beside her: even though she knew he would probably just feel sorry for her and pretend it didn't happen, as a female she would feel very embarrassed and as Anna Kushina, she would feel _extra_-embarrassed.

So, she carefully removed Mikoto's arm from around her, hoping that she did not wake him up.

Thankfully, he remained asleep. He merely shifted and brought his arm to his side.

Anna forced herself to sit up and winced when she felt a sharp pain.

She inwardly cursed her cramps and got out of bed. She went to the adjoining bathroom where she changed and returned a few minutes later.

She got into bed again as quietly as she could. Mikoto was still in his same position but was awake.

"You alright?" he asked sleepily.

She made a soft noise, indicating that yes, she was indeed fine. It was completely quiet and the room was very dark.

She waited for Mikoto to wrap his arm around her again, but he didn't and she recognized that he was falling asleep again by the way his breathing kept getting more and more relaxed.

She lifted his arm, startling him awake.

"Mm...what's wrong?" he questioned tiredly.

In reply, she replaced his arm over her, across her belly and shifted her head so that she could bury it into his neck.

Mikoto simply sighed and gave the top of her head a slight nuzzle before he drifted off again.

Twice more she woke up to get changed and each time she got up from the bed, Mikoto would awaken and each time she returned to the bed, she would awaken him to get him to cuddle with her.

The final time she had to get changed was sometime during the very early hours of the morning, quite close to dawn so it was extra dark.

When she removed herself from Mikoto, he seemed to not awaken this time and unconsciously, he rolled over to the other side, facing away from her.

When she came back to bed figured that she shouldn't bother him anymore. He was normally a quick tempered, easily irritated and impatient man and throughout the night he had shown her more patience and understanding than she had ever seen him do.

However, the painkillers had worn off already and although she had some in the medicine cabinet of her room, she felt too lightheaded from the pain to walk back.

She decided to rest for a moment before trying again.

However, her insides felt like they were twisting and she let out a whimper of pain, alerting Mikoto. She felt him shift on the bed.

"Anna? What's wrong?" he questioned.

She made a soft noise and shook her head when she felt another wave of pain crash over her.

"Are you in pain?" he questioned.

She whimpered again and gasped out, "Yes,"

There was silence for a moment and then his large hand was on her stomach again. It felt around her middle for it was dark and he could not see so she covered his with hers and guided it just under navel.

Once her hand had his in the proper position, she removed her it and waited for him to work. Immediately, he released his red aura, warming her again. She sighed out, so grateful for the relief from the pain that tears came to her eyes.

She was so overwhelmed that she could not stop her tears and Mikoto heard her sniffling.

"Anna?" His voice was full of worry and concern for her.

In reply, she turned and snuggled against his chest. Her arms went around his neck, hugging him tightly. She just couldn't stop crying!

"What's the matter?" he asked her, alarmed at her behavior.

"I'm just happy...that Mikoto is here," she replied.

She could feel his heartbeat against her chest and she felt it settle in relief at her words. He gently patted her hair in response.

"What would you have done if I wasn't here?" he wanted to know.

"I might have been in the hospital and if I needed meds, I would have to push a button and a nurse would have come to give them to me," she replied as she started to feel sleepy again.

"How come you're not in hospital now?"

"Because Mikoto is here," she answered and hugged him tighter.

Mikoto gave a very faint smile at her words.

Well, he was certainly baffled by her behavior, but he knew it had something to do with her 'girly issues'. Even so, he was pleased by her words.

* * *

"Coming, I'm coming," Fushimi grumbled at the insistent ringing of his doorbell. He opened it and was surprised to see his Lieutenant standing there at eight a.m, Sunday morning.

"Sir?" he said, quite surprised.

She frowned at him. "You look like hell, Fushimi," she told him baldly.

Fushimi tsked. He was wearing his pajamas, stank of stale coffee and there were huge dark circles under his eyes.

"What brings you here this ungodly hour, _sir_?" he questioned.

Seri knew she was not welcomed by him so early, based on the underlying, very thinly veiled sarcasm in his voice.

"I need to speak with you, Fushimi-kun,"

"With all due respect sir, this isn't a good time," he said.

"Well make it a good time, Fushimi-kun," she stated in a cold, hard, authoritative tone that made even he, Saruhiko Fushimi, inwardly cringe.

He tried hard to not show his displeasure as he moved back to allow his Lieutenant inside.

"What can I help you with, _sir_?" he questioned with a sigh.

"Some coffee and aspirin for starters," she responded.

Thankfully, Fushimi already had a freshly brewed batch of his favorite coffee so he disappeared somewhere into the kitchen while Seri sat down on the couch of the living room.

She had tied her hair into a ponytail today and she was dressed as casually as possible in a white, short sleeved shirt that covered her chest properly despite being too tight around her breasts. The purpose was to hide up that red mark on her collar bone and the collars of the shirt did that quite well.

The rest of her wore on a black skirt and black heels to match.

Fushimi returned, still looking like something the cat dragged in, with two mugs of fresh coffee and a packet of aspirin.

He sat on the other side of the couch after setting down her coffee and tablets for her. She thanked him and consumed the pills with a deep gulp of coffee.

"What did you want to see me about, sir? Does it have something to do with Iwao?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "No. I want to know what happened last night, Fushimi-kun,"

He shrugged. "When I woke up, you and the Captain were knocked out so I left,"

He let out a strangled noise when Seri grabbed him by the shirt front and pulled his face closer to hers.

"Fushimi-kun," she called his name quite politely.

"Er...yes?" he replied. It was pride that kept him from sounding nervous due to the cold, dead serious expression on his Lieutenant's face.

"What the hell happened?" she snapped.

Fushimi tsked and shoved her off, completely _annoyed_ by the whole situation. He had had a pretty damned frustrating night, hacking into the highly securitized computer system of Seneca High because the administration of the schools did not give out student information so easily and it wouldn't have taken longer for him to wait on the information he needed so he had just gotten it himself. It had been hard to obtain despite his first class hacking skills, especially because he had been half drunk! And where was his Captain and Lieutenant while he was doing everything?

Drunk and knocked out.

Well, he had also been for a period of time but he hadn't used that as an excuse to shirk his responsibilities!

"I don't know what the heck happened with you and the captain!" he yelled in reply as he stood up abruptly. "Last night I woke up to see you lying next to the captain with your blouse almost completely undone and your bra showing! Yes, sir-_your bra_! It proved that you're actually a woman to me!"

Seri's cheeks flushed red at his words. "How dare you insult my femininity?!"

"Oh screw you and your damned female mind! Do you know what it was like to watched you for the last few months? Moping all over the place for Kusanagi-san and pining away on the other hand for the captain! It disgusts me!" he ranted.

Seri was stunned. "How did you-?"

"Because Misaki is a stupid prick who thinks mocking me about you would bother me at all when I happen to come across him in Shizume City!"

Seri, despite shocked at Fushimi's behavior, commented thoughtfully, "You mean you hunted him down,"

"I did not hunt him down!" Fushimi spat. Did everyone have the impression that he stalked the stupid crow? They had happened to come across each other! "And either way you and the captain have been slacking off and making me do all the work. I don't know what the devil he does all day but _I'm_ the one going after leads on Iwao, _I'm_ the one following certain trails. I send reports to you both but _neither_ of you bother with me. We're here for a reason and it's a work related one! Do you know how frustrating and stressful it's been on me?! I look like this because I had to drink three pots of coffee and two energy drinks to keep me going when I came home last night!"

"Ah, this explains your behavior," Seri remarked.

"Yes. I am not pleased," he retorted before he took a deep breath and sat down. He reached for his coffee, but Seri took it away from him.

He shot her an annoyed look, but her eyes were even more cold and mean than his.

"You're on a caffeine high, Fushimi-kun and because you brought up some very, unfortunately true points about myself I will let your behavior go this time, but I want you to get some rest," On a kinder note, she added, "I promise you that the captain and I will put this case first as it is what should have been our priority."

Fushimi paused, and nodded.

"Now," she continued, "I want you to tell me what you know about this and why it was that someone was touching my clothing right before you left the apartment," She had pulled down her blouse a little and revealed her dark red hickey.

Fushimi's cheeks went red at her words and he stumbled to find his own to explain.

"Look, when I got up, you were sleeping and you were indecently exposed. I didn't think you'd want to wake up and see yourself like that so I fixed your clothing for you and hurried out. If it's a crime then I'm sorry," Fushimi told her as if it was the most bothersome thing in the world.

_Reisi's hand reached out and caught hold of the side of her face, forcing her to look up at him and into his dark eyes behind his glasses. _

"_You're very attached to that man from the Red Clan, Awashima," her King said to her._

_Seri blinked and tried to move away from him, but he caught her wrist in one hand in a firm grip while the thumb of the other hand lightly brushed her lip. For a moment, it seemed as though he was almost jealous._

_Then, kindly, almost pityingly, he told her, "There is no future with you both. You know that,"_

_Seri turned her head away from him but he left his hand on her face, gently caressing it, almost comfortingly. _

"_You belong with us. You know this, Awashima-kun,"_

_Reluctantly, she nodded. There was no way she nor Izumo could be together because they were both from different clans and their personalities contradicted what their respective clans represented: Seri liked neatness, orderliness and peace and the Red Clan was the complete opposite of that. While Izumo **did** relish neatness and had some type of OCD toward his bar, he was not a peaceful man for while he cherished warmth and deep bonds it was at the expense of rowdy, riotous individuals and those kinds of bonds were something the Blue Clan lacked compared to the depth the Red Clan had them in. _

_Seri's eyes became moist for her alcohol induced state made her emotions come to the surface. "It's hard to let go," she whispered._

_Reisi pressed his lips against her temple and gently followed down the side of her face with soft kisses. Her mind registered to what he was doing and she became surrounded by his familiar presence that gave her the comfort she so desperately needed to fill that lonely void in her that, as simply a human being, **needed** to be filled. _

"_Captain," she whispered as she felt a strange stirring within her. _

_She wanted him to hold her closer, to give her the security that her heart desperately needed. _

_Reisi followed a trail down the side of her neck. She was so drunk on alcohol that she only vaguely realized that he had undone the buttons of her blouse. She could feel his hands that were unexpectedly hot, slide into her open shirt and caress her stomach. She let out a soft sigh at the feel of those callouses, rasping across her skin and she gasped when his mouth focused on a specific area on her collar bone where hotly, wetly, his tongue lashes that spot as his lips deliberately pulled on that spot and his teeth broke her skin, certainly leaving a mark there._

_Her body was growing hotter and hotter and her arms went about his head, and for the first time ever, she was given the freedom to run her fingers through that thick, blue black hair._

_And more than anything, she felt safe, comfortable. _

_Suddenly, Reisi drew back. He gave her a warm look, one she had never seen before. The wall she had always felt between them was crumbling away and she smiled beautifully at him, almost radiantly. _

_Reisi returned her smile, and his features looked completely different. He looked so much more handsome...much more like a human._

"_We should stop here...but let me have this much, **Seri**,"_

_Seri liked the way her name sounded on his lips. It was like a seductive whisper that made her insides melt. _

_Isn't this what she had wanted?_

* * *

"So you've joined with those Blues, Seri-chan?" Izumo remarked.

Seri continued sipping on her red bean paste drink.

Izumo sighed as he resumed cleaning his counter. "I guess it's what you want. Your personality does suit that place,"

Seri lowered glass and stood up. "I may not come around here more often anymore,"

Izumo gave her a smile that was sincerely sad. "I would hope that you would at least drop by once in a while,"

He reached across and patted her head kindly. She gave him an annoyed look. "Why are you treating me like a child?" Her voice was very strict when she spoke.

Izumo grinned. "Would you like me to treat you like a woman then, Seri-chan?"

Seri was startled by his words, but the handsome man was leaning over the counter and his mouth was coming closer to hers. Somehow, almost as if she was possessed, she felt herself moving forward, looking forward to the warm lips that would soon touch hers.

How did they taste?

Like alcohol and coffee? She quite imagined it possible.

Then her mobile rang, interrupting them

And the kiss never came

And a few years later, she had been cornered by Izumo in that alleyway and once more he had almost kissed her until Anna and the Red King interrupted them.

And hence, such was the case of another kiss that had never come.

And yet she had certainly longed for from the man who so easily warmed her.

* * *

_Then it was hitting her that the man who was going to kiss her, whose hot breath was on her face, was Reisi Munakata's, her King's...not Izumo. While she should have been satisfied with Reisi, Izumo was at the back of her mind. In some way, she felt as though she was cheating on Izumo, even though they were not together._

_Seri turned her head. "I can't..."_

_Reisi froze. She glanced at him to see that his expression was hardening. "I see,"_

_Seri was stunned at herself and Reisi had drawn away from her and had handed her some more tea. "S-Sir?" she whispered, but he said nothing and began to drink his own while Fushimi remained knocked out somewhere._

_It seemed that there was much more whisky in this tea than the rest for Seri began to feel even more drunk. _

"_Why?" she asked in her drunken haze. Even though he was drunk too, he was able to understand that she was referring to what had just conspired between them._

"_Because I'm willing to become the man in your life, if that's what it takes to keep you in Scepter 4," was the response. _

And somewhere along the way, they had both slumped over into a deep sleep. Seri thought back on Reisi's words. _That_ was why he did it? That was why he had been so gently seducing her when she was drunk? Not because he had _genuine_ feelings for her, but because he wanted her to remain with them? For the sake of the Blue Clan?

"I don't really know or care about what happened. I just fixed your clothes and left," Fushimi was telling her.

Seri nodded and swallowed hard. The memory of the night before had come back to her and she was surprised. She lifted a hand and touched her neck where the kiss mark was. Reisi was the one responsible for this. Him, her king, had laid his mouth on her and had been willing to kiss her...for the sake of keeping her in the Blue Clan.

Her eyes narrowed angrily. She almost felt like taking another drink but she decided against it.

"Fushimi, thank you for informing me-and helping me with my clothes," she told him as she stood up.

"Eh...you're welcome," Fushimi said a bit uncomfortably. There was a blazing look in her eyes, as if she wanted to kick someone's ass. Fushimi was glad it wasn't his. He wasn't in a frame of mind to battle with an enraged woman.

She glanced at him and managed a tiny smile. "You know, you once told me that you hated big hearted people but you yourself have one,"

Fushimi tsked after she left.

"I don't have a heart," he denied to himself as he walked over to his laptop.

He switched it on and the first thing that came up was the profile of Chie that he had hacked Seneca's system to find. He tsked again.

Maybe he did.

* * *

Seri figured that maybe she should speak to her Captain face to face and hear what he had to say about the incident. Truthfully, she didn't like being told that he would be her 'man' if that was what it took to keep her in the Blue Clan.

It was a bit insulting. Almost as insulting as Izumo only wanting to screw with her in bed because he thought he got the chance to do so.

However, she figured that maybe they should try to get on better footing, for the sake of their job. They were both drunk and stupid things happened when people got drunk.

And yet, even so, Reisi Munakata had not taken advantage of her. He had was going to stop after he had kissed her.

That was more control than a lot of men had.

Also, as Fushimi pointed out in his caffeine high craze, they were slacking off. She could no longer allow her relationship issues to get the better of her.

So, at around ten in the morning, properly attired in a loose blue skirt and beige blouse, she rang her Captain's doorbell.

He opened the door, looking as clean and pristine as ever as he wore on a light blue yukata.

"Good morning, Awashima-kun. I assume you're fine after all that alcohol last night?" he said as soon as he saw her.

Seri tried hard to hold back the blush that was threatening to stain her cheeks.

"Er...good morning Captain. Yes, I'm alright-I just came to make sure you were alright," she responded.

She waited for him to mention something about the events last night, but he didn't. In fact, when he spoke, his voice was rather cold, making her wonder if he even remembered anything at all.

"I am quite fine and thank you for covering me with the futon," he responded very politely and a bit frostily. He moved to close the door. "I have some work to do so perhaps we shall speak later regarding the case with Iwao,"

Seri was stunned when the door slammed into her face.

"It's called jealousy," came Fushimi's voice.

Seri glanced over her shoulder and saw that her subordinate was standing outside of his own apartment door, just a door down, observing the pair with arms absentmindedly folded. He still looked pretty awful although he looked like had had a bath.

"Jealousy?" she repeated.

He shrugged. "The Captain isn't a guy who would easily reveal that he's feeling something as petty as jealousy for the Red King's second in command," Fushimi frowned before he continued, rather critically, "I thought you would have figured that out before, sir. You're _supposed_ to be very analytical."

Seri narrowed her eyes at him. "Fushimi-kun," she said in a strangely quiet, almost coaxing way that made him feel a bit disturbed.

"Er...yes...Lieutenant?"

"You better hope that that sarcasm is the remaining aftereffects of your caffeine induced high or I'll give you a death wish!"

With that, she stormed off to her own apartment and slammed the door shut.

"Sheesh...is this what I get for being helpful?" he muttered to himself before going inside his own room.

* * *

_Monday:_

Anna had been sent to the hospital the day before and would remain there until probably Tuesday. It seemed that her cramps had become too much and even the heat Mikoto's power gave her to soothe her was not helping her enough.

Mikoto had been standing by her bed as Natsume had her take some painkillers and Mikoto had felt so helpless, watching her clutch her stomach and whimper in pain.

"_Why is this happening?" he had demanded of Anna. It wasn't that he was upset with her, it was more the situation because it was terrible for him to bear to watch her suffer and not be able to do a thing about it. _

_Anna smiled gently, despite her agony. "There's nothing we can do about it,"_

"_**Mikoto, don't go," A newly turned eleven year old Anna begged him. **_

"_**There's nothing we can do about it," he told her and gently patted her head before walking away. **_

_It was probably divine payback for the hurt he had put her through in allowing her to see him suffer and watch him practically die shortly after Totsuka had. _

"_It will get better for her, Mikoto. These are just the times when she will suffer the most and even so, we're seeing signs of improvement," Natsume assured him._

_Mikoto shoved his hands into his pockets. "Like what? She looks like she already has a foot in the grave,"_

_The older woman smiled kindly. "She doesn't bleed for two weeks at a time anymore: she goes on to just a little more than nine days. She doesn't bleed quite as heavily either and she doesn't have cramps so severe that she needs to take morphine for them. It's only been about a year and a half since she first menstruated and I think Anna's shown excellent signs of improvement,"_

_Mikoto grunted. He didn't really understand this kind of 'female stuff' but that didn't mean that he had to accept that it was enough to help Anna. _

"_Mikoto," Anna said his name._

_He looked at her as she lay down in her bed. They would take her to the hospital just now, once the painkillers kicked in. Once there, the nurses would care for her and be at her beck and call. _

"_What?"_

"_I'll get better," she promised him._

_Mikoto gave her a lopsided frown and then sighed. "Just make sure you do," _

_He gently patted her head._

He had stayed with her at her bedside in the hospital, holding her hand and listening to her breathe. Sometimes he dozed off in the chair and eventually the nurses had pitied him and offered him a makeshift cot which he had accepted to sleep in.

Normally, they didn't let visitors stay like he did but his presence seemed to make Anna feel better and he got her to eat when she struggled by glaring at her. She also seemed to sleep better once he was nearby. He never disturbed her if she napped and he wasn't exactly a chatterbox either.

Even though he seemed like a fierce, fearsome fellow, he was a good 'big brother' to the little girl.

Now, Mikoto was bored. He was getting tired of this case with Iwao that was going nowhere and Reisi irritated the hell out of him so he was not looking forward to class the following day.

Mikoto therefore decided that perhaps he should go to the Finders' Club and take a nap on the couch.

Akemi had been scared for her life when she saw Anna's brother sleeping on the couch of their clubroom. She had been about to go, but the guy merely opened his eyes and glanced at her.

"Where's your idiot friend?" he asked her.

"Uh...he's flirting...with girls," she responded.

Suoh Mikoto snorted and closed his eyes.

Hesitantly, she questioned, "Where's Anna?"

"Sick," he responded.

Akemi frowned for a moment. Anna herself had once mentioned that she stayed home certain days of the month because of her cycle so she figured that that was why her friend was not here today.

Akemi was cautious about disturbing him further and before she could say anything else, the door burst open and Kei walked in.

He glanced at her. "Hey," he said a bit coldly and looked about the room for Anna.

Akemi sighed. Apparently, he was still upset and offended with her for her lack of belief in him that he thought of her as his friend. He was insulted that she still thought him that shallow.

"Why's he here?" he suddenly gasped, pointing at Mikoto.

Mikoto opened his eyes slightly and gave him an irritated look, making Kei shut up right away. Mikoto closed his eyes again.

He mouthed to Akemi, "Where's Anna?"

"Sick," she mouthed back and smirked at his fear of the young man sleeping on the couch.

Akemi figured that it should be alright for her to do some work so she switched on the computer and went through some of their files.

Meanwhile, Kei kept creeping closer and closer to the couch, largely curious about the guy sleeping there.

When he managed to get to be about a foot away, he stooped down.

Akemi, realizing the close proximity of Kei to her friend's seemingly dangerous brother, took her pencil eraser and threw it at him.

It bounced off his head and he shot her a dark look. "What?" he asked silently.

She lifted her hands in exasperation and shot him a look that clearly meant, _'What the heck are you doing?!'_

He merely smiled before turning back to the red haired beast.

"Do I really look like your dead brother?" Kei suddenly whispered, quite solemnly.

Mikoto opened his eyes, but Kei remained as he was, observing the red haired young man. Mikoto gave him an annoyed look.

Kei smiled broadly in reply.

"No, you're more stupid looking than him," Mikoto answered.

Akemi covered her mouth, smothering her giggles.

Kei turned his head in her direction and suddenly his smile got all flowery. She immediately stopped laughing for she knew that he was going to get all sadistic on her when he got the chance.

He returned his attention to Mikoto. "Stupid looking?" he repeated.

Mikoto sat up and sighed, seemingly very tired. "Yeah, that's the only thing you both have in common,"

Kei tilted his head to the side. "So we're nothing alike, personality-wise?"

Mikoto decided that it was really his concern over Anna that caused him to talk casually to the annoying brat in front of him, "In a way you're as much an idiot as he was, personality-wise,"

Kei chuckled. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

In response, Mikoto caught him by the the top of his head and squeezed. Kei gave him a frightened look.

"Mikoto-san, that hurts!"

Mikoto immediately released him and Kei gave him a look that showed that he was clearly afraid. Kei automatically drew back.

Mikoto shrugged. "You're not as stupid as he is," Mikoto decided suddenly.

Kei was surprised at his words but what he didn't know was that what Mikoto meant was that Kei was more cautious and thought more about his actions than Tatara had. Even if he was a bit carefree, he knew when to draw back and because he did not throw caution to the wind as Tatara did, he was not as stupid as Mikoto's fallen comrade.

"Kei, we just got a job," Akemi informed him.

Kei looked at her. "Really? What's it about?"

"Some kid lost a ruby pendant in the pool the swimming club uses. It's likely someone took the pendant,"

"Alright, I'll call Natsume-san and ask for the tapes and then we'll go do some checking," Kei stated.

Akemi nodded. "We have to head to class now. You have a free period coming up I think so you can check out the tapes. I'll meet you back lunchtime,"

Kei nodded in agreement. He waved a friendly goodbye to Mikoto while Akemi gave an uncertain wave to him before she hurried out.

Mikoto was left all alone inside. Well, he didn't really mind.

He could catch up on some sleep.

* * *

"How are you feeling, Doll-face?" Natsume asked Anna kindly as she opened the window of her hospital room to let her get some fresh air.

Anna, still a bit weak, answered, "I'm a little better,"

Natsume returned and sat at her bedside. "That's good. Do you think you can manage down some food?"

Anna frowned and shook her head.

Natsume sighed. "Well I will still have some brought up in a little while. You know how vital it is for you to eat,"

"I know," Anna admitted.

Natsume gave her a pitiful look. "I also know how reluctant you are to eat if you feel like you will just vomit it,"

Anna nodded.

The older woman suddenly smiled and changed the topic. "Did you have a good time out with Mikoto on Saturday?"

Anna hesitated before replying, "I did, but..."

"But?" Natsume prompted.

"He was very...overprotective. More than usual,"

"Why don't you tell me what happened?" Natsume offered.

After Anna finished telling her how Mikoto had gotten angry about her dress and had insisted she get a new one, Natsume looked thoughtful.

"Anna, what animal do you associate Mikoto with?"

"A lion," she replied.

"Yes. And do you know that lions happen to very possessive and overprotective of what is theirs?"

Anna frowned. "Am I...territory then?"

She, like Yata, had watched several documentaries of lions in the wild thanks to Fujishima so she had a fair idea about lion-like behavior.

"In some animalistic sense, he does see you as that but as a human he knows you have thoughts and feelings too. He cares a lot for you and he wouldn't want to loose you or see you hurt in anyway by anyone. He's therefore possessive and very protective of you. He isn't blind either, he can see that you're growing up quite beautifully and perhaps because of your past he doesn't want you to get hurt anymore. In his eyes, you are still that child he rescued, who had suffered too much for the sake of another madman's power,"

Anna nodded. She could understand that.

Natsume continued thoughtfully, "I'm also sure that as someone who monitors what goes on in Shizume City's underworld, Mikoto's come across a nasty side of people he does not want you to witness where there are perverts all around. Perhaps he's a bit paranoid but as I said before, he doesn't want you to get hurt anymore. No matter how he is, he still wants your happiness in the end. After all, he could have insisted that you not get that dress but he _did_ buy it himself for you, right?"

"Yes, he did," Anna agreed and was satisfied with what Natsume was telling her.

"And also, we can't forget that even with some of his memories of his twenty six year old self, he's still currently just fourteen and at that age, Mikoto was very bad tempered and much more irrational. Although he might be a bit mean and stupid even, he would never be deliberately cruel to you, Anna," Natsume continued, "You're aware of how much he cares for you, aren't you?"

"Yes," she replied. Anna didn't need her marbles to know that. Even before all this affection between them, she knew that he had cared for her greatly.

Natsume seemed to want to say something again to her, but was seemingly unsure of how to say it.

"Natsume-san?" Anna voiced her name.

The woman leaned against the chair and reluctantly, she asked her, "Anna, do you and the king sleep together often when you're home in Homra?"

"Yes,"

It took a moment before she spoke again. "Don't you think it's a bit...unusual?"

To her surprise, Anna gave a very tiny smile of understanding. "He doesn't touch me in a strange way,"

Natsume blinked in surprise. Then she returned the smile. "I guess I'm not the first to wonder about your relationship," Natsume thought about the reports given to her on Mikoto's progress with his Sword of Damocles. It was in excellent shape and could almost be seen as perfectly new. Natsume was quite sure that Anna had something to do with this.

However, she still felt it necessary to warn her. So, on a more serious note, she continued, "Anna, you may not like what I'm about to tell you but I want you to understand that you are growing at a very fast rate. You already look older than you really are. When you are fourteen you will probably look like sixteen, and when you are sixteen, you will probably look like eighteen. Mikoto will protect you as much as he could, but remember that he is a man. A king he may be, but he is _still_ a man and you are a young girl and your sexual drive will heighten from time to time. Especially as a strain. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Anna did. She had read all the data about it to get a better understanding of the changes in herself. It didn't mean that she wanted to hear someone else tell her about it. In her own way, she wanted to remain ignorant of it and hope that she and Mikoto could always sleep together and cuddle in that innocent cocoon of what the latter part of her childhood had created their relationship to be.

"I do," she confessed reluctantly.

"I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it's just my advice to you to cut back on your sleeping habits with him. Not just for your own sake, but for his as well. He would never forgive himself if he touched you an inappropriate way, even by accident,"

Anna said nothing.

Natsume left shortly thereafter.

She was quite sure that Natsume suspected that she had been irritated at her words. Anna loved the older woman very much but she hadn't liked being told this. It was taking away the dream that she was living in and replacing it with a reality that as an older person, she and Mikoto would be required to cut down on their time together.

They already had so little and it was only around bed-time Anna benefitted from his affection.

She sighed. She knew that there was going to come that time when things would change, but for now, she would enjoy her moments with her wonderful king, for they were warm, pure and perfect.

* * *

_It was a bright, beautiful day. Spring rains had come recently and everything was green, fresh and beautiful. _

_Mikoto didn't know why he was here. _

_He should be in his den, upstairs in the bar, sleeping the dark._

_Yet, here he was, sitting on a red picnic blanket in some park, looking as out of place as a monkey in an administrative office. _

_The pair in front of him fit in perfectly with the beautiful cheerful atmosphere for they seemed so bright, especially the tall, slender male: Totsuka Tatara. He was sitting opposite Mikoto with a basket on his lap, full of many different varieties of red flowers. Anna was beside him,using a needle and thread to push through the red flowers and gather them together. Mikoto supposed that she was going to make a flower necklace of some sort._

_Totsuka, smiling brilliant as usual, encouraged her with compliments to keep going._

_Anna's hands were dainty in her motions, and never once did she stab herself._

"_What's the difference between plucking the heads of a bunch of flowers and poaching an animal just to showcase it's head?" Mikoto demanded._

_Totsuka and Anna paused. They were accustomed to him being in a sour mood when he was brought outside after spending too much time inside. It had become a joke among Homra that it took Mikoto time to get used to seeing the sun again. _

_Totsuka looked thoughtful, then grinned in reply, "The flower can grow back it's head but the animal can't because it's dead!"_

_Mikoto almost made an annoyed noise with himself: here he was, the monster of Shizume City's underworld, sitting on a picnic blanket with a grinning idiot and doll-like girl on a spring day without a shred of food around to use as an excuse for being out there._

_It was quite unbecoming of him._

_He pulled out a cigarette, and stuck it in his mouth. _

"_King, you aren't going to light that, are you?" Totsuka asked with a disapproving eyes._

"_What else would I be doing?" Mikoto retorted._

_Totsuka reached across and snatched the cigarette away, making Mikoto scowl angrily. Despite this, Totsuka chuckled merrily. _

"_Now King, the air is so beautiful! Perhaps it's best keep it as pollutant-free as possible,"_

"_I'm going back," Mikoto muttered and was about to stand, but suddenly, Anna was in front of him, holding the flowers she was working with. _

"_What?" he asked, irritated._

_Anna looked down a bit shyly and then glanced at Totsuka who seemed to nod encouragingly at her._

_She suddenly stood up and dropped the flowers in her hands on top of Mikoto's head. He expected them to fall away around him, but they remained._

_He blinked, confused. _

"_Anna made you a crown of flowers, King," Totsuka explained and somehow produced a hand mirror. _

_Mikoto saw himself reflected in it with flowers that matched his hair, hanging around his entire head. _

"_Mikoto is King," Anna stated and turned his attention to her. It seemed she had made his crown for him._

_Mikoto smirked. "I guess I am,"_

_Before she could say anything again, Tatara was hugging her from behind and pressing his cheek against hers. "Anna is so cute!" he exclaimed._

_However, his motions also spilled the basket of flowers and at the same time, the wind picked up. In Mikoto's line of vision, he saw the pair amidst thousands of swirling red petals, and it calmed him._

Mikoto opened his eyes to see two people in an embrace like the one he had been dreaming about with Anna and Totsuka, only it was with two teenagers, one with thick golden hair and the other with hair that was caramel colored and probably had lighter highlights under a different light.

It was Akemi and Kei: Anna's friends.

Kei was hugging Akemi from behind and kissing her cheek while she looked at him as if she was terrified of him.

"What are you doing, stupid?!" she hissed at him and struggled against him, but both his arms were around hers, locking her to him. It was possibly that he was squeezing the girl too tightly.

Grinning like an idiot, he replied, "I'm trying to show you that I'm your friend! See, I'm your friend!" He kissed her cheek again.

Akemi seemed to grow even more frightened and she managed to knock his arms away and run off. Kei chuckled when she ran off.

Mikoto was only just understanding the relationship between these two: Kei was a sadist toward Akemi and just to freak her out when he was upset with her, he show her the sweetest face while doing the wickedest things. It was a twisted sort of behavior and Mikoto realized that the guy was sincere in that area of his relationship with the girl.

Which in itself made him even more strange to Mikoto.

"Your girlfriend is upset with you," he commented as he stood up.

Kei froze, then smiled at Mikoto from over his shoulder. It was a forced smile but Mikoto knew that the boy was trying to get on good footing with him, perhaps because he was Anna's brother.

"She's not my girlfriend; but she's my number one female friend, even if she doesn't realize it,"

"And Anna?"

Kei paused.

"Well?" Mikoto leaned against the couch, awaiting his answer.

"I like her," he responded and could almost see the guy's eyes glow red.

"In what kind of way?" Mikoto pressed.

Growing afraid, Kei answered, "As a friend! A good friend! A _great_ friend!"

That seemed to satisfy the beast of a guy for his entire body seemed to relax and the anger Kei had sensed coming from him settled down.

Kei gave him a curious look. "Did you sleep here and miss classes?"

Mikoto grunted and Kei suspected that meant 'yes'. Mikoto stood up abruptly. "What's the time?" he questioned.

"Uh...it's now noon. Why?"

Mikoto didn't answer. He simply left.

Mikoto understood that Saruhiko Fushimi was following a lead on one of the students but had very little to report yet. No one else seemed to detect unusual activity from Iwao quite yet and he played the role of the perfect teacher, even with students and teacher fawning all over him for his good looks.

How boring, Mikoto thought.

* * *

Seri was in Izumo's arms as they swirled around, dancing in demonstration to the students.

"You're holding yourself rather stiffly, Seri-chan," Izumo commented.

Seri shot him a glare, surprising him. However, he merely smiled. "What have I done this time?"

"Nothing," she replied and the only reason why she didn't step on his toe was because she would look utterly foolish for making a mistake in the room where she was supposed to be the teacher. And there were many eyes on herself and Izumo because they were both so attractive.

"Where's Anna-chan?" Seri asked, trying to divert the topic from their relationship.

"She's unwell," Izumo replied as they continued dancing.

The woman was quite determined to not relax in his arms. It was only her elegance that kept the other students from realizing it.

Seri's eyes widened slightly. "What's wrong with her? Is she alright?" She did tend to worry about the little girl who was growing up among the members of such a violent, uncouth clan.

"Girl stuff," Izumo responded and took note of the fact that he had to go see her later today in the hospital. He had walked in on her yesterday, being stubborn about eating.

It was Mikoto who got her to eat:

"_I don't want the soup, Mikoto," she complained and shook her head at the bowl on the tray in front of her. _

_Izumo, standing in the doorway, watched with much fascination as out of nowhere, Mikoto somehow produced Lion-O, for when he lifted his hand, the plushie was in it, making Anna's eyes widen in shock._

_Mikoto lifted his free hand and a flicker of his flaming aura was on the tip of his index finger. He slowly held it to the toy's head and pointed his finger the way one one point a gun. _

"_Eat or he dies," the young King threatened. _

_Anna's eyebrows furrowed slightly at the sight of her beloved plushie's soon to be incinerated existence. _

"_No blood," Mikoto began and the fire about his finger blazed more. "No bone," (Not that Lion-O had blood or bones). His finger was coming closer-_

"_No a-"_

_Anna_ _picked up her spoon and immediately began to devour her soup. Izumo smiled and entered the room as Mikoto put away his aura, but kept the toy under his arm. _

"_You're a bully as ever with Anna, Mikoto," Izumo commented when he came inside. _

_Anna looked at him and welcomed the kiss on her forehead from her guardian. Izumo's kind smile darkened into a scowl that aimed at Mikoto when he stated, "You sure took a while to get here, old man,"_

"_I am not old!"_

"_You're twenty eight,"_

"_I have the graceful beauty of a twenty five year old! And you shouldn't talk, you're really twenty six!"_

_Mikoto gave a slow smirk then. "I'm fourteen,"_

"_That just makes you a brat then," Izumo said distastefully. _

_Pausing between mouthfuls of hot soup, Anna commented, "Even when Mikoto is bigger, he looks younger,"_

_Izumo frowned. "How much younger do you think?"_

"_Twenty two," she responded. It was true; after Mikoto hit twenty two, he didn't seem to age and looking nothing like a man in the second half of his twenties. Although twenty six was just four years older, Mikoto didn't look a day older than twenty two. _

"_Helping me doesn't mean you get to stop eating," Mikoto said and glared at her._

_She immediately resumed consumption of her light lunch. _

Izumo smiled fondly. Those two were quite a pair.

Seri understood what he was talking about for she herself had provided him the data on Strains for Anna so that they could understand better her needs as she grew.

Seri wanted to ask what was making him smile so wonderfully, but she held her tongue. She needed to be as cold as possible to freeze off this man.

"So your King scolded you for being with me?" Izumo asked her.

Seri turned her head away. However, as she did so, her movement caused her shirt to fall slightly, partially revealing her hickey. Izumo seemed to notice this and frowned. Not showing that he noticed something, he let Seri go.

"Perhaps we should demonstrate the tango," Izumo announced.

Everyone in the room turned around, quite surprised.

"Kusanagi-sensei, I do not believe that is necessary," Seri commented.

Izumo shot her a smile over his shoulder. "Ah, but Awashima-sensei the tango is the dance for lovers," he turned his attention to the CD player and changed the track. The music began and immediately, Izumo reached for her. He grasped her by the waist, and banded her to him before his arm moved slowly upward to position itself appropriately at her back.

The tall handsome man smiled down at her. "Ready, Seri?" he asked quietly so that no one else could hear.

"No, I am not!" she replied angrily.

He smirked. "Angry. Perfect. Let's show these kids some fancy footwork,"

Seri pulled herself into proper position quickly before they Izumo took her across the dancefloor, forcing her to keep up with his steps as they circled around to the beat of the music. She was circled twice before his hand went to her leg and pulled it onto his, allow her to feel its hard muscle. He smirked at her before, according to the dance steps, she was spun around and his arm was around her waist, holding her perhaps more tightly than necessary and she could feel the hard ridges of his muscles through his clothing. She caught his scent of cologne and could feel his warmth completely surrounding her, threatening to thaw her.

Seri was breathing rapidly. She didn't know if it was just from the dance, or if it was from Izumo himself. She was turned around again, some more footwork and suddenly, he dipped her.

She relaxed, knowing that his strong arm would hold her safely.

She felt him draw closer to her and his breath was on her neck.

Then, suddenly, she was upright again.

All around them, the students clapped and cheered.

"We'll end class here today," Izumo announced.

The students cheered harder and ran out the room before Seri could stop them.

"What are you thinking? There's still a half hour left!" Seri snapped.

Izumo merely smiled as the last student left, and walked over to the door. Seri was expecting him to leave, but was astonished to find that he had shut the door and had locked it.

As he turned around and advanced toward her, she stepped back, until she hit the opposite wall, reminding her of the incident in the alleyway over a year ago.

Izumo was still smiling as he slammed his palm against the wall beside her head. She was startled.

"Izumo?" she said his name uncertainly.

"That's a nice mark you have there, Seri-chan," he stated.

"I don't know what you're-" Before she could continue, his hand caught the neckline of her blouse and pulled it downward, revealing the hickey.

"Don't know what I'm talking about? Oh, I assure you Seri-chan; I know," he told her. His face was dead serious and his expression angry.

"Nothing happened, we didn't even kiss," Seri defended herself and almost felt like a girlfriend defending herself in front of her boyfriend.

Izumo smirked suddenly. "That's how Munakata Reisi does it, huh? He marks the woman he claims as his without even a kiss, huh? Well you better let him know that I'm not so kind as to put _my_ mark somewhere so hidden,"

Before Seri could ask what he was doing, Izumo's mouth was on her neck, to the side, just midway. Seri struggled and tried to get him off, but he was physically stronger than her; one large hand pinned her by the wrist to the wall, while the other was around her, gripping her tightly by the waist.

Seri caught his scent, that familiar scent and she was reminded of those days long ago when she would come to his bar and just chat with him.

He was always able to make her talk more than necessary.

She whimpered as she felt his teeth break her skin, marking it, and she gave up struggling. Sensing her compliance, Izumo's hands loosened and one of them went to her blouse, pulling it out of her skirt until he was able to slide under it and feel her warm skin underneath.

Seri's body shuddered at the feel of his soft hand, so different from her King's.

Her King's.

Munakata Reisi.

Suddenly, she felt like she was going to betray him! She remembered him and the many times they had together in Scepter 4, his sense of organization and his kindness and discipline.

Seri pushed Izumo away after summoning strength she didn't even realize she actually had.

"Don't!" she hissed at him, shocking him. "At least my king wants me so that I can have a future with in the clan! You just want me to use in bed because you have the chance!"

Izumo was surprised at her words. "Seri-chan, it isn't like that," he was telling her.

"Don't lie to me, Izumo. You know that there's nothing for us as long as you're a part of the Red Clan, and I the Blue. You just wanted to get your jollies with me since you thought you had the opportunity,"

"You really believe that?" Izumo asked her carefully.

As Seri regained her composure and tucked in her skirt, she responded, "Am I wrong?"

Izumo looked a bit uncomfortable. "Look, it isn't like that," he was saying again but Seri could tell there was some truth to her words for there was some guilt hanging around him.

Seri made an irritated sound. "Enough, Kusanagi. I have things to do and so you, like working on the case we were assigned to by the his majesty the Gold King,"

With that, she walked off, completely ignoring him. She opened the door and thought to herself, at least she could go back to Scepter 4 and focus on her work and everything would be alright. Her king was a great man after all.

Somewhere along the way to her apartment, Seri stopped realizing that no, everything was not alright. Nothing was fine and she couldn't pretend that it was going to be when she got back into the gist of working-not after what had happened the night before with Reisi, and not after the way he had treated her the following morning.

It hurt the way he had been so cold and although they were both drunk, Seri partially blamed herself for not having more control over her emotions. Reisi was not any better either. She didn't think it was possible for her to work with a man who decided he only wanted to be with her for the sake of keeping her within their clan.

On some level, she was touched that he wanted her there that much.

But on another, she was angry for she felt that he was not seeing her worth as a woman.

As for Izumo, he was much worse. He was her first love and she still harbored feelings for him, but she couldn't continue living in the past and expecting that somehow, it would all work out.

Nothing was working out right now, not even in the Blue Clan.

She enjoyed being there but Fushimi had brought up some important things to her-she was currently letting her social life get in the way of work. She was probably loosing respect among her subordinates of they noticed how she 'moped' around. This was not the behavior a Lieutenant should display.

It was time, she decided, to move on from the Blue Clan. She was upset with Reisi and she felt that it made no sense she stay in the Clan if it was that she could not properly do her duties.

And she was not going to go running to Izumo Kusanagi either who just wanted to have sex with her.

She placed her hand over the fresh hickey and winced at its sensitivity while blushing at the same time.

Izumo was a problem as well.

Neither of these men were helping her and they were both making things worse, and she could not think from running from one to the other. That was fickle, stupid and pointless and unbecoming of a normally level-headed, goal oriented woman such as herself.

Seri knew that in the end, only she could help herself and the first thing she was going to do to help herself was to resign from Scepter 4.

* * *

_**A/N: This chapter should have been posted yesterday but it wasn't properly completed. Hope you enjoyed it!**_

_**Did you enjoy the Seri/Izumo/Reisi in this? Hope you did!**_

_*******DRINK SAFELY AND WITH PEOPLE YOU TRUST. KNOW YOUR LIMITS. AND DON'T DRINK IF YOU'RE UNDERAGE!**_

_*******PLEASE KEEP NOTE OF THE AMOUNT OF CAFFEINE YOU CONSUME BECAUSE IT CAN BE DANGEROUS. I would know-I used to drink caffeine loaded energy drinks when studying for college exams, and almost felt like I was having a heart attack one day. I haven't touched them since and coffee gave me heartburn so coffee's out too. **_

_**Anyway, enough about my lifestory.**_

_**Thank you for reading, and all of you who followed, favorited and reviewed this story, thank you so much, I appreciate it. I love you all, God bless :)**_

_**For all the reviewers:**_

**Mizuouji: *Pats on back comfortingly* Think of all the joyous faces when you release the new chapter :) Hope you enjoyed the Seri/Izumo in this chapter. I think that they could be together, if it weren't for their clans. I used to kind of prefer Seri/Reisi...in my mind, boss+subordinate=sexy time. Hahaha. But seriously,**** because it's only recently I really tried to get in interested in Seri's character, I can't really decide right now. I have an idea how to end things with these three, I just hope everyone is pleased with it. **

**xNightDreamerx: Thanks for the review on the chapter, it made me smile. Hope you enjoyed everyone's interaction in this chapter as well :)**

**little weirdo: Good luck to you too on your exam! Mine is the day after tomorrow. So un-fun :/ Anyway, thanks for your lovely words, I appreciate them :)**

**Arius the Heretic: Well, now you know how she got that hickey, and now she has TWO! I'm...kinda jealous? Lol. If only I had a guy like Izumo or Reisi in my life. Anyway, enough about me. Thanks for letting me know that heat really does help! It does make me sad too sometimes when I write this story, and in the sequel she's going to get more older. But I like the idea of her being older and interacting with everyone :) Thanks for your well wishes on the exam, let's hope I do well! And thanks for your lovely review, I appreciate it :)**

**Nobody Special: My Special Reviewer! Yes, they always do make me happy! And I get more excited to write the next chapter too whenever I learn how much people enjoy the story :) Thanks again and hope you enjoyed this chapter too XD**

**Mienchan-ish: Yes I'm much better now! Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**

**D: Hm...what do you think about Reisi now? And Izumo? No I didn't get my tonsils pulled out, but i think what happens is that all that dairy builds up the mucus in my throat and chest and somehow that irritates my tonsils and makes them swell. They're almost back to normal now...as long as I ignore the ice-cream in the freezer I will be just fine :) Thanks for your concern though :)**

**LindyLinn: Thanks for those wonderful words! I appreciate them! Did you get around to reading the manga? Believe me, it's good fun.**

**Indochine: Thanks for always reviewing! I appreciate that! Well, now you know how Seri got her hickey. Hope you liked the Seri/Izumo moments...and caffeine high Fushimi :)**

**nekoikoi: Don't worry, I know the drill with college and lame timetables. I'm glad you were finally able to catch up. I'm happy to know that you liked those parts of the story, and hope you keep enjoying it! Thanks so much for reviewing :)**

**HodgeHeg: It's alright, I'm glad to know you're still reading the story despite my two week long absence! Hope you enjoyed this chapter too :)**

**sereneskydragonslayer: Thanks so much for reviewing. Now you know who did it :) Hope you liked how Seri somewhat threatened Fushimi :)**

**nannerlovessnickers: Yes, Skip Beat is probably the ONLY shoujo manga I actually keep updated with. I get too irritated with some that have been dragging on for too long. In fact, Skip Beat is the only manga that I actually went out to buy the volumes for to support the author. I'm kinda fed up with it now because I'm tired of seeing Cain and Setsu, I want to see Ren and Kyoko mode, or Kuon and Kyoko! Lol. I guess it's not time yet. That was actually my fav part in the anime too! My favorite arc in the manga is the Valentine's Day arc. I loved that one sooo much! Your birthday sounds like it went really nice and I hope that the rest of your day went well :)**

**Bre Renee: Aw...don't worry, I'm just glad to hear from you! I actually hadn't intended to name the chapter 'Balls' but I didn't know what else to put and that just seemed to fit the chapter so I used it! I'm happy to hear you're enjoying the drama with Seri, and thanks so much for your well wishes. Take care and hope you enjoyed this chapter too :)**

**Yoshh95: Hi, thanks for reviewing :) It never really crossed my mind to bring in a serious love interest for Mikoto because he never really struck me as caring to have someone, especially since in this story he clings to Anna so much. But the issue might be brought up, either toward the end of the story or in the sequel :)**

**SomeReviewer: Hello my AWESomeReviewer! OMG, you are the first person I know who REALLY seems to pay attention to so much detail in the story, especially with the plot surrounding the Rise! I actually thought everyone had forgotten about not everything with the Rise being discovered! That will actually be wrapped up in the sequel so you can look forward to it then :) You were right about Fushimi buttoning up Seri's shirt. Mikoto is just possessive. This chapter explains it all :) Thanks so much for your review :)**

**WitchyCloudPine: That really means a lot to me hearing that! Thank you!**

**Diclonius57: Thanks for your reviews on those chapters. I appreciated them! **

**graveheart08: You will vote to Kuroh?**

**Shigure-sensei: Not sure if or when you will see this, but thanks for your review of the first chapter. I appreciate it, and I hope your reading this means that you really enjoyed the story to make it this far (unless you skipped to this chapter, but that's alright :D). **

_**Thanks again for all the lovely reviews.**_

_**Let me know your thoughts on the chapter.**_

_**Until the next one, God bless :)**_


	39. Clubroom Nap

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

**_A/N: _****_Apparently another person has been taking my ideas and using it as her own in her story. The person did have the courtesy to PM me after someone else pointed that out to her and although she tried to make changes to her story by removing the material from mine that is similar to hers, the last I read, it sounded similar still. I do not know how it is sounding now, because I haven't checked to see it although she has informed me that she made some more changes. _**

**_*****I want to be fair to laxus23 (the person who copied my ideas) because she seems as though she's making efforts to remove my stuff from her story and probably try to be more original. If you want, go check out her story for yourself and if you like it, support her (her story is an Anna/Mikoto one as well). But if it seems that she's still stealing my ideas or her story is in any way a knock off of mine still, then please, kindly let her know. I was a bit upset because I work really hard on this story but, judging from laxus23's writing, she is probably a young person and probably doesn't know any better so giving her the benefit of the doubt, I'd like that we not be cruel to her in any way, but try to help her out. It's only right that she learns how to be more original and in that way we all benefit: she becomes a better writer and readers get a better story to read._**

_**On that note, I'd also like to also write that the plot of this story as well as the OCs Kei, Akemi, Chie, Emi, Chef, Ryosuke, Aoi, Ume and Satoshi, as well as the members of the Rise, Toshi, Iwao and Seneca Town, the Seneca Schools, most of the students of Seneca and belong to me. Natsume Yuki is based a bit on Tsunade from Naruto and her husband, Haru is based a little on Dan from Naruto (probably just in terms of appearance though because I never really got into Dan's personality). Tsunade and Dan belong to Masashi Kishimoto and I lay no claims on either of them.**_

_**Either way, I'm willing to give laxus23 a chance because she is trying to be better and she did listen to some of the stuff I said to her. I think she might welcome some good advice for the direction of her story. **_

_**Based on her writings, I leave that up to your judgement as to what you think of her as a writer if you decide to check out her work and keep up with it.**_

**_****Now enough ranting; about this chapter: has Seri/Izumo/Reisi stuff. The chapter is a bit shorter than usual I think but I hope you enjoy it all the same. My updates are going may get a bit more slow because I have stuff with school (unfortunately), and I'm job hunting (pressure from parents), but I will make time to work on the next chapter._**

* * *

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

**Chapter 39: Clubroom Nap**

It seemed that Anna's adopted brother kept himself absent from school the following Tuesday.

"Probably because Anna didn't come to school he didn't care to either," Akemi remarked from behind her computer in their club room when Kei commented on it on Wednesday morning before class.

"Yeah, he doesn't strike me as the type who likes going to school," Kei agreed.

The door to the room opened and the pair looked up in surprise to see Anna walk in. She seemed to be very tired for there were lines under her eyes. Normally her skin was perfect without a single mark on its flawless, porcelain beauty; not a wrinkle nor scar.

They were surprised to see her without a schoolbag, and walking behind her, carrying it, as well as his own was the red-haired beast of a guy she called 'sibling'-although they looked more like a couple at that moment for Suoh walked Anna toward the couch and waited as she sat down. Then he set her schoolbag down beside her.

No words passed between them, but it was obvious to the two friends that Suoh Mikoto was being very considerate toward the pale haired girl and there was a sense of warmness and familiarity between them that could not be denied.

"You need to eat something," the redhead was telling his so-called sister.

She shook her head.

His eyes narrowed. "You _need_ to eat something," he repeated on a harder note with narrowed eyes.

Anna immediately nodded and her two friends were stunned by her reaction.

Even Akemi and Kei knew of her occasionally bad eating habits and tried their best to make her eat something too.

"_Anna, did you have breakfast?" Akemi questioned._

_Anna nodded as she focused on the data on the computer that was giving her some information on a particular lost item. _

"_I don't mean a cup of tea," Akemi told her._

_Anna paused and her friend gave a weary sigh. "Anna, tea isn't breakfast,"_

"_I'm going to the vending machine now. Anna likes melon bread, doesn't she?" Kei asked and was already walking away. They knew that the only way they could get her to eat was if they did it out of kindness for she would feel guilty if they got her something and refused._

That was a trick Izumo tended to use but Mikoto was too bad tempered and impatient for that. Anna had only agreed to get something to eat because Lion-O, once more, was being held hostage in his backpack.

It wasn't like she was deliberately stubborn; she just felt to sick sometimes when she ate and she would want to throw up.

That didn't seem to matter to the people around her for they were interested in ensuring she had something in her stomach.

In a way she could understand why for even she knew how bad her eating habits were.

"I'll get her some melon bread, Mikoto-san. And some aloe-water," Kei added after a thought.

Mikoto nodded and allowed the guy to go. He paused when he realized that he had naturally just relied on Kei for something.

It was because the guy did have some ways like Tatara.

"_I'll get Anna her omurice, don't bother yourself, Kusanagi-san!" Tatara assured the bartender, all too eager to please the little girl. _

Or even an instance where Anna was not concerned, Tatara would be there, always trying to be helpful.

"_Kamamoto's birthday is tomorrow? Well we need to bake a cake! Anna, will you help me?" _

"_Just don't use up all the butter this time!" Izumo warned him and was given a guilty smile in reply._

Tatara had really loved Anna a lot and in a way, Mikoto found himself softening up to Kei because he was quite sure that somehow, the semblance between the teenage brat and their fallen comrade offered Anna a bit comfort. Kei was certainly not Tatara's replacement but having someone like him around wasn't too bad.

He was stupid.

In an interesting sort of way.

And probably smart enough to know how to get out of trouble.

Kei returned a short time later with the bread and aloe water. He had two bottles. He handed one to Mikoto, surprising the redhead.

Kei grinned. "Have you ever tried it? It has some good health benefits,"

When Mikoto gave it an uncertain look, Kei coaxed, "Anna's going to drink it, aren't you as well?"

Kei received a glare rather than thanks for that, but he didn't expect anything more than that. He was pleased when the grumpy guy took the bottle and opened it. He handed it to Anna. He gave her a meaningful look and she took a deep drink from it while he took her unopened one for himself.

"They're really cute," Akemi whispered to Kei when he came over to her side.

Kei grinned. "Catching up on your favorite shoujo manga on the forbidden romance of brother and sister, Akemi-chan?"

Akemi scowled at him. "I don't know what you're talking about,"

As the two began to squabble over something silly, Anna reluctantly bit into her bread while Mikoto sat beside her, drinking his aloe water. He seemed to like it for he hadn't chucked it in the trash yet. Anna also liked it and she took another sip.

"Mikoto?"

"Mm?" he grunted.

She offered him a piece of her bread but he shook his head for he had had a very fulling breakfast. The Chef's choice of meal today had been an authentic English fry up with beans, toast, sausages and eggs that were sunny side up.

"_So what do you think, Suoh-kun? Is it not a wonderful, heartwarming breakfast? The perfection of beans on toast, the combination of eggs and sausage!" Chef was exclaiming in the way an obsessive parent boasted about their precious child. _

_Mikoto grunted. "Scrambled eggs are better,"_

Chef was on the verge of eating his hat that morning.

Mikoto had been satisfied to know that Anna would be home again from today but would not be allowed to attend dance classes. He didn't care much about the dance classes.

He just wanted her to get better.

And she seemed to be. She was much more quiet though and he knew Anna well enough to sense when she did not want to talk to anyone. They were the only indication of the mood swings teenagers were famous for.

That and cravings and Mikoto already witnessed both first hand after that time with the pudding.

He therefore learned for himself to not to push her when she was feeling moody.

"Is Mikoto going to class today?" Anna questioned.

He shrugged at her as he leaned against the couch. He didn't really have to go. His main purpose at the school was to get into Iwao's head and Mikoto was already playing his part as the delinquent student who ended up in detention often to be with the guy.

He had had detention yesterday for copping out on classes the day before. Iwao had been the one to oversee the detention room, but he had just sat in front of the class, smiling nicely while Mikoto didn't care to talk.

It wasn't that Mikoto was deliberately being obstinate: he was simply trying to act the problem child (which really did not require a lot of acting on his part) so that Iwao could use it as an opportunity to get close to him.

However, Iwao didn't seem to care to talk to him and Mikoto was getting tired of this. He had responsibilities as King toward his clan members, but some jobs were just so...mundane. He couldn't burn anything and without any proper evidence that the guy deserved to get burned from some of his flames, so Mikoto couldn't calculate the time he had to bide buy in order to look forward to having some kind of vengeance on him.

Sighing, Mikoto lay his arms on the back rest of the couch. Anna drew a little closer so that she was sitting right up against him with her leg against his and her arm brushing his side.

"I've got to go now," Kei stated. He waved to Anna and Mikoto, deliberately pinched Akemi's arm and ran for the door when she threw a notebook at him.

"Jerk," Akemi muttered and went to pick up her book. When she straightened, she glanced at Anna who was almost done with her melon bread while her supposed sibling was leaning against the couch, looking a bit sleepy.

Anna herself was looking tired for she leaned into Mikoto's side and rested the back of her head against his shoulder.

Mikoto glanced down at the fair head on his shoulder. In a way he was fascinated by the fact that she was able to reach his shoulder now. At his usual height, she could barely make it to his chest, even with her own shocking growth spurts.

His mind wandered a bit to back when Anna had just joined Homra and she sometimes woke up from an afternoon nap and would join them downstairs.

_The bar would usually be raucous and full of life. Interestingly, on days when Anna was not downstairs but sleeping upstairs, the bar would be a bit more quiet than usual for everyone had become considerate of their precious princess. _

_On this particular day, Tatara was sitting on the couch, beside Mikoto with his head in his hands, looking sad. _

"_Totsuka-san, when you stop smiling, everyone does too," Yata informed him with a worried look on his teenage face._

_Immediately, the young man was smiling again although not as broadly, or as happily as he normally would. _

"_You have to forgive me, Yata-chan, I'm just missing Anna's company this evening," Totsuka apologized. _

_Yata scratched the back of his head in confusion. "She's only been napping for a few hours,"_

"_But it's the longest she's ever slept for during the day," Totsuka pointed out. _

"_Sheesh, stop getting so long faced. Even I'm getting depressed," Izumo remarked. Then, thoughtfully, he added, "but perhaps we shouldn't have taken her with us last night. We did stay out late when we went chasing down that criminal."_

"_But we did track him easily thanks to her," Kamamoto said as he also got drawn into the conversation._

"_Ah, what are you cooking today, Kamamoto?" Totsuka queried. _

_Kamamoto grinned. "I missed Anna's company too, so I made omurice. Maybe she will show her face soon if she catches the scent,"_

_As if on cue, a little face peered at them from the doorway and immediately they sensed her. Anna was greeted by several smiles from her clansmen and a slight nod from her king._

_Daintily as ever, she walked over to them where she was warmly welcomed. _

_She climbed onto the couch and sat between Mikoto and Totsuka and suddenly, she was cuddling up against Mikoto's arm._

_Mikoto glanced down at the small child. _

"_Are you still tired?" he asked softly._

_She shook her head and leaned more into him, hugging his arm tightly to her as she leaned her head against it._

"_Sometimes when children wake up, they like to cuddle a little," Totsuka said and moved to take Anna to snuggle her to him on his lap._

_However, Anna shook her head when he reached for her. Currently, she just wanted to be near to Mikoto. _

"_It looks like the only person she wants is Mikoto," Izumo stated and moved to head to the counter to shiny up six glasses he had been neglecting._

"_I suppose I will help Kamamoto finish up the omurice," Totsuka said and was about to get up, but Anna reached out and grasped the sleeve of his shirt._

_He frowned. _

"_Stay. Please," she whispered._

_Totsuka grinned and remained as he was. _

_However, he shared a look with Mikoto over her head when she lay it on her King's strong arm again._

_Mikoto shook his head at Totsuka. Somehow the king always seemed to know if Anna had a nightmare or not and it seemed that she had not had one._

_But today, it seemed that she had just woken up a bit cranky and wanted to be somewhere that was comfortable._

_Her number one comfortable place was definitely Mikoto._

_But almost as much was with Totsuka._

* * *

"Anna, perhaps you should stay here a little while and rest," Akemi suggested as she got her own things together.

Anna shook her head. "We have class,"

She moved to stand, but Mikoto caught hold of her arm in a firm grip and pulled her back down. Anna glanced up at him and blinked.

His golden eyes remained on her for what seemed like minutes before he finally said, "Stay,"

He glanced at Akemi and she nodded, seemingly understanding that she should go without Anna. She lifted her backpack, waved at the two and left the room.

Anna normally listened to Mikoto, and today wasn't a day she felt like disobeying him.

So, she settled herself against him once more. She lifted her feet from the ground and tucked them under her before resting her cheek on her King's shoulder.

His arm went around her and he held her to him.

Just for a few moments, she decided, she would rest her eyes.

Just for a few moments, it would just be the two of them.

And unwittingly, Anna fell asleep, surrounding by his warmth, his scent and his beautiful red.

* * *

When the girl's head relaxed against him, indicating that she had fallen asleep, Mikoto gently kissed her temple and gave it a little nuzzle. When he drew back, he found that he was still astounded at the level of affection he willfully showed this person.

When growing up, he had hardly ever show affection to anyone, and hadn't received much of it himself.

Yet, it came so naturally to him to want to kiss her and cuddle her.

Such a strange relationship he had with Anna Kushina.

And yet it was one he liked very much.

* * *

"You've put me in quite a stitch here, Awashima-san," Natsume stated after Seri explained that she was leaving Scepter 4 almost immediately.

Based on work etiquette, it would have been better that the first person she informed of her resignation be Reisi but he was part of her problem and because the job had been at the request of Natsume (although she had wanted it handled only by Red Clan members), Seri decided that it would be best that she inform Natsume first. After all, once she left, the students would be without a dance teacher and an importance event was coming up for the students.

"I let go of a world class dancer who would have made my students into professionals within a week of training, with the understanding that Scepter 4's Awashima Seri, swordswoman as well as dancer would take on that position. Now my former teacher decided abruptly to go on a world cruise and won't be back until after my students' dance. What am I supposed to do?"

Seri gave a slight frown. "I can look up someone..."

Natsume shook her head. "There's not enough time for me to evaluate the person themselves. Awashima-san, do you understand that I have the authority to overrule your decision to leave Scepter 4 simply because based on the law, you came into my school with certain agreements made between the respective clans with the presence of the Gold King and you are breaching the agreement, granting me, the client and a high ranking Red Clansman, the ability to revoke that resignation until your duty to me is finished?"  
Seri looked genuinely sorry. "I apologize for that Natsume-san. I accept whatever decision you make,"

Natsume let out a frustrated sigh before looking a bit thoughtful. "I don't know your reason for going exactly but I sense that there's a lot of emotional turmoil in you. Also, your interaction with Izumo was caught on camera yesterday,"

Seri was stunned. Then she recalled that Natsume stashed cameras practically everywhere. She had come into the school with the knowledge about the rules so although she was embarrassed and angry that Natsume had seen it, she knew that she had no argument.

"I'm the only one who saw it, no one else and no one else knows about it," Natsume informed her.

Seri nodded, thankful for that much.

"Awashima-san, I am in dire need of a dancing instructor for a short time right now. Once you resign from Scepter 4, you will be in need of a new job,"

"What are you suggesting?" Seri asked curiously.

Natsume smiled. "I think the problem you would have is the assistant you were given. Suppose I remove that assistant and gave you someone else? Do you think you could stay a bit longer?"

* * *

_She was dreaming of one of those days when she woke up to the early hours of the morning when it was still and so quiet and she would be in Mikoto's arms, completely engulfed in his warmth, and held safely in his strength._

Anna let out a soft sound when she as she slowly returned to the waking world from her nap. When she opened her eyes, she found her head lying on a familiar warm lap and glancing up, she saw Mikoto's handsome, fourteen year old boyish face. His eyes were closed and his features more relaxed and for once, Anna could see that he actually looked like fourteen.

There was youth about his face without his usual angry mug on.

In fact, even in her black and white world, one could almost call him pretty.

It wasn't that he looked womanly, as he sometimes described the Blue King as; there was just something about the way his natural red hair stood out against his skin and how his features were made him so highly unique and attractive.

She lifted her hand and before she could stop herself, she found that she was gently soothing her fingers along his jaw, feeling the softness of his skin.

It was almost as soft as her own for at this age, he was still barely out of childhood like herself and therefore his skin had not become roughened there quite yet with the onset of facial hair.

Even in his twenties, Mikoto's facial hair did not grow as quickly as other men's did. It was something she realized for there were many mornings when she woke up to him nuzzling her and his cheeks were as smooth as her own.

_His arms were around her as she lay on her back and her tiny body would be held safely against his as he nuzzled her and pressed his cheeks against hers, occasionally giving her kisses on her soft cheeks while his own were as smooth as hers, simply because he was a lion who loved to give affection...but only to her. No one else would he treat like this.__  
_

There were still occasions when he _did_ wake up with a need to shave. She had actually gotten beard burns from him which had almost given Izumo a heart attack when he had seen red marks on her cheek from when Mikoto had kissed her there before he got out of bed.

_She felt his familiar warm lips on her cheek and her hers flew open when she felt something prickly on her cheek as well. Mikoto's chin rasped against her and she let out a soft gasp. _

_Bothered by the strange sensation, she turned her face toward him and blinked at him. She saw that around his jaw was lightly forested with hair growth. Mikoto gently pressed his knuckles against her cheek which had a slight burning sensation from the touch of his face. _

"_I need a shave," he muttered and extracted himself from her while rubbing his jaw absentmindedly. _

_Anna saw some red marks on her cheeks when she looked in the mirror that day. They were not much and would fade soon but Izumo had dropped the glass he had been polishing at the sight if them._

_It bothered him so much that he didn't even seem to notice that his precious glass had shattered with a loud crash. _

"_Is that acne?" he demanded in shock. After all, she was already thirteen and acne in a teen was only natural._

_Anna shook her head._

"_Beard burn," Mikoto responded as he strode into the bar, newly shaven. He headed straight to Anna. His hand rested on her shoulder as he kissed the same cheek again, only this time there was no strange sensation from his growth of facial hair. Anna also caught a spicy scent from him that she recognized as aftershave-Kamamoto smelled similarly whenever he shaved off his facial hair. _

_Mikoto walked to the other end of the room, seemingly to go get himself something to eat from the kitchen. _

Anna didn't really know what Mikoto had been thinking but even then, she had heard Izumo muttering something about how Mikoto should let her sleep in her own bed.

At the time, Anna had assumed that Izumo had said that because he didn't like the fact that her skin had become temporarily marred because of their king. It was only after Natsume had advised her about their sleeping habits that she realized that Izumo might have been thinking along the same lines as her principal.

Mikoto's hand was suddenly covering hers over his cheek and he slowly opened his eyes and although she tried to hide it, he picked up on the fact that she was sad.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

Her eyes, currently tinged with red as they reflected his power, faltered slightly. "Mikoto..." she whispered his name and gently her hand caressed his cheek.

His own tightened its hold over hers, forcing it to stop. His eyes narrowed.

He was getting worried.

She removed her hand and sat up slowly while Mikoto eyed her silently, still waiting for her to speak.

"Don't go," she said.

Mikoto frowned slightly and he was back to having his grumpy look on although Anna knew he wasn't really angry.

That was just his natural expression.

"I'm not going anywhere," he told her slowly as he himself was trying to figure out why in the world she would tell him that. At the same time, his mind was slowly processing that there was something about the way she looked with her head on his lap and the way her long, long waves of white hair spilled onto it, surrounding her.

"Stay," she pleaded quietly. "I miss you...when you're not here."

Mikoto gave her a long hard look. Pretty, he realised. She looked pretty.

As pretty as a doll.

And he understood what was going on in that pretty head of hers.

It seemed that she had gotten used to him being around Seneca and enjoyed his presence here as much as she did at Homra bar.

Mikoto placed a gentle hand on her head. "I have to get back to normal eventually. You know that,"

Anna nodded.

And then he would have to return to Shizume City and leave her in Seneca.

In a way, she didn't want him to get older. At age fourteen, he was closer to her own age and to get along with him at this level was different.

Although he was more rough with her, and more crude in his language, it was nice to not be treated as such a fragile object which Mikoto tended to do.

He used to be like that quite often in the past and it was only recently he actually managed to realize that she wouldn't break if he touched her, but still, fourteen year old Mikoto was very interesting.

It was a new perspective on someone she loved very much and fourteen year old Mikoto, going to school with her seemed so perfect to her.

But she knew it couldn't last.

Mikoto was king and he had responsibilities.

And she loved his twenty six year old self just as much. After all, they were one and the same person.

Mikoto lowered his head to hers and pressed his forehead against hers. Gently, he allowed their noses to touch. He didn't really know what to say to her, only that he knew that whenever he did this when she was experiencing some kind of emotional turmoil, she would calm down.

"Someday," he whispered as he thought of what to say, "you'll finish school, and you'll have me."

Anna gazed her wide eyes into his. "Really?"

He moved his head to the side and roughly kissed her cheek. He nodded and and drew back, leaning against the couch.

Before Anna could say anything else, there came arguing at the door. When it opened, it was Kei and Akemi, quarreling with each other.

"You're just jealous of my acting talent! You know very well that I can play both roles well!" Kei was snapping.

Akemi suddenly smirked. "You're right, you'd make the perfect Juliet! I _guarantee_ that you'd look fabulous in a dress with your womanly features!"

Kei stopped as they entered the room. Then he started one of his warm smiles. "You think so, Akemi-chan?"

Akemi turned to run, knowing that as a guy, she had insulted his masculinity and he was going to get her for that.

However, Kei caught her by the back of her dress as she was about to dash for the door again. He tugged her back against his lean body and his arms went around her arms, effectively locking her against him.

Against her hair, he murmured, "Sweet Akemi-chan, do tell me again how I'd make a better Juliet than you," His hold on her tightened and she whimpered. "Please," he continued while still smiling all flowery.

"You wouldn't make a great Juliet! You'd look awful in a dress!" she told him.

"Aw...I'm so hurt by that! And why would I look awful in a dress? Is it because of my very masculine features?" he continued.

Akemi nodded.

"But I do have the acting ability to play Juliet even better than _you_, don't you think, sweet Akemi-chan?"

Akemi was not going to admit that much. Hell no, she was not going to compliment Kei on his acting ability and she wasn't going to allow him to oppress her like this anymore!

In reply, Akemi slammed her foot into his toe, making him yelp out in pain. "You damned bitch! Why is it my foot every time? Why?!" he wailed.

As Akemi pulled away from him, she retorted, "Shut up you idiot, would you have preferred it to be your face?"

Kei's hands went to his cheeks protectively.

"Stay away you psycho bitch," he hissed at her.

In reply, Akemi flipped him her middle finger and stuck her tongue out at him.

Kei snorted. "A crazy chick like you is gonna play Juliet? What people would think about you if they saw you now? You sure don't have any delicate feminine qualities other than your obsession with shoujo,"

Akemi chuckled. "My boyfriend doesn't think so,"

Kei's eyes widened. "Boyfriend?"

Akemi smiled as she walked off to the door. "Boyfriend? What the heck are you talking about? Hey Akemi, don't you walk away-hey! Are you walking away from me?!"

The slam of the door was his reply.

Kei seemed to be fuming.

"Kei? What happened?" Anna asked behind him.

Kei spun around, surprised. "You're here? The two of you?"

Anna nodded while Mikoto merely looked at him.

"It's lunch time, how come you didn't go to any classes?"

That surprised Anna. She didn't think she would have slept so long.

But then again, her body had been conditioned to sleep for long hours with Mikoto so it was not too surprising that she had spent so much time napping.

"I was tired," she responded.

Kei smiled kindly. "That's good then that you got some rest. I guess neither of you have eaten?"

Anna shook her head. "I brought onigiri,"

Mikoto tsked beside her. She glanced up at him and blinked. "Mikoto does not want onigiri?"

"Is that all you ever eat?" he demanded.

He glanced at Kei who nodded solemnly. "Anna only eats onigiri for lunch and she only eats two for the most. Some days she only eats one and insists that Akemi and I eat the rest,"

Mikoto frowned. He couldn't picture Anna as being insistent on something.

Kei continued, "She says, 'Eat. I made it' and we feel obligated to eat it because we think she made it for us,"

Mikoto nodded. He picture her doing something like that. After all, it was the practice Izumo used to get _her_ to eat. He also knew that she just liked being among her friends while eating and probably developed the habit of making food for everyone from Izumo and Totsuka as they usually ensured that all their members of the Red Clan were fed when they visited.

Anna's eyes rested on Kei. They narrowed slightly and he realized from her strong gaze that she was annoyed with him for telling Mikoto.

Kei sighed. "Anna, I like onigiri but I hate seeing that that's all you're eating. I'm going to buy sandwiches and from the vending machine and I'm getting for you and Mikoto-san too,"

As he turned to go, he felt something whack the back of his head hard. He caught it as he rubbed the back of his head and realized that it was some rolled up cash and coins.

He glanced back and saw Mikoto sitting there with a lazy expression on. "Get something for yourself too," Mikoto ordered.

Kei grinned broadly and hurried away.

Anna glanced at Mikoto. She was quite sure that he knew that Kei was not acting this way to get on his good side; Kei was genuinely concerned about her and had deliberately let Mikoto know about her habits because he truly believed that the redheaded could somehow get her to change them.

* * *

As Kei stood before the vending machines, he thought about a little conversation he had with Akemi earlier that day, long before they had argued:

_"Hey Akemi, do you see how Anna's eyes look when she gazes at that brother of hers?"_

_Akemi smiled. "They probably come to life! They're filled with love",_

_Kei shook his head in disappointment. "You airheaded romantic girl! That's not what I meant"_

_"Who are you calling airheaded you retard?!" she snapped. _

_But Kei merely smiled, making Akemi freeze. She automatically thought he was going to get all sadistic on her and she chose that moment to run off in fright. While staring after her, Kei figured that maybe he shouldn't mention it to Akemi yet, but he noticed that Anna's eyes which were normally grey, would have a red tinge when she gazed at that brother of hers. _

* * *

Kei returned a short time later with the sandwiches and some drinks.

"Why were you and Akemi arguing?" Anna asked.

Kei, biting into his sandwich, sighed, "Everyone cast votes for who they wanted to play Romeo and Juliet in an upcoming play. You were out of school so you probably don't know about it,"

Anna shook her head. She didn't know.

"You didn't take drama as a club activity this school term, but Akemi and I did. We decided on a Shakespeare play and we chose 'Romeo and Juliet',"

"And you got chosen as Romeo, and Akemi as Juliet?" Anna put in. Mikoto shot her a dark look when he found that she wasn't eating at a good enough pace and she quickly took a large bite out of her sandwich.

Kei nodded. "I'm popular with the girls so I was chosen...and Akemi got a lot of respect in the drama club because she's a pretty good actress,"

Anna believed that for she recalled Akemi telling her that since she was little, she had been taking acting lessons because her mother had been well on her way to becoming a big shot actress before she had died and in Akemi had wanted to follow in her footsteps.

It was one of the rare things her father had not denied her.

"The play is a week from now, a day before the dance," Kei informed Anna.

She paused and blinked at him. Kei seemed to understand that that was a shockingly little time to prepare. "We've studied Shakespeare inside out so we know all the lines so we just need to practice. The Natsume's are pretty organized so they'll have everything set up by next week in preparation for the play with the stage and sound,"

Anna nodded and once she finished her sandwich, Mikoto ordered her to fish her onigiri out of her backpack and to start eating it. She obeyed him.

"Why did you argue?" Anna repeated her original question when she picked up one of her onigiri.

Kei grinned. "I can't help but tease her. Do you see the way her eyes spit fire? It's like watching sparks fly and I love it!"

Mikoto frowned at the guy's words. Now Kei was making himself sound like a masochist when in fact he was a sadist; he deliberately riled up Akemi to bear her temper, therefore expressing masochistic behavior, and when she lost it with him, he would get angry too and deliberately display sadistic behavior toward her.

Mikoto figured that the guy was very manipulative as he did things to get a certain outcome he wanted.

Unfortunately he didn't have the gift of foresight, particularly in the case of Akemi and sometimes wound up eating dirt-literally, when he pushed things too far with her.

"Hey Anna?" Kei said.

She looked at him as she finished an onigiri. Mikoto was eating one as well and she offered one to her friend which he automatically accepted.

"Does Akemi really have a boyfriend?"

Anna shrugged. "She mentioned that someone was interested in her,"

Kei perked up, his eyes seeming to blaze with some kind of fire. "Who is he?"

"One of Satoshi's friends," Anna responded. She tilted her head to the side. "Is Kei jealous?"

Kei smirked. "Of course not! Akemi is my friend! I need to protect her from flirty, manipulative jerks out there!"

"Jerks like you?" Mikoto stated.

Kei looked thoughtful for a moment, then without a shred of shame, he admitted, "_Exactly_ like me. Why else would I want to protect her? It's because I know what goes on in the minds of guys because I'm the sort who likes to play around with girls!"

Mikoto snorted.

Kei frowned. "What?"

Mikoto glanced at him. "You kids are only fourteen. Shouldn't you be more interested in books?"

Kei drew close to Mikoto, and with a nice smile on, he asked, "Haven't you had a girlfriend yet?"

Mikoto sneered, "That isn't any of your business, Kei Junichi," and immediately Kei stepped back, figuring that maybe he was crossing the line with the redhead.

He didn't really know why, but he had suddenly felt like bothering him a bit although it was dangerous. Perhaps it was because the guy just looked lazy and sleepy half the time, and riling him up a bit was tempting.

"Sorry about that," Kei apologized quickly.

He turned his attention to Anna. "So who's the guy, Anna? I want to go spy on him,"

Anna didn't know if Kei really did end up spying on Akemi because she spent the rest of the day in the clubroom with Mikoto, sleeping in his arms or just lying against him, listening to the beat of his heart, relishing his warmth, comfort and the safety he provided.

"_Mikoto?"_

"_What?" _

"_Can I have Lion-O back?"_

"_No," was the curt reply and she was held closer to the warm body beside hers._

* * *

_Thursday:_

Awashima Seri did not want to see her King.

The mark he had given her had only just started to fade and she had to keep her hair loose in order to hide the deep red one on the side of her neck from Izumo.

Seri was both angry and upset with her King-and a bit afraid.

She knew he wouldn't like what she was about to tell him.

But despite what had conspired between them in those drunken moments, she still respected the man greatly and she felt that she owed that much to him for all the kindness he had shown her over the years they had spent together in Scepter 4, and she therefore needed to hand in her resignation papers in person.

So, she carefully knocked on the door of the tea room.

The door slid open and there stood her King, wearing on black slacks and a very dark blue cardigan over a black shirt.

"Awashima-kun. What can I help you with?" he questioned.

He showed no emotion to her and was quite composed and disciplined.

Seri fought hard to not let her nervousness show, but Reisi Munakata was the type of man who could tell when another was anxious.

She sometimes wondered if he could hear people's heartbeats to know.

"I need to speak with you," she answered.

Reisi turned away from her. "Is it about Iwao?" he asked quietly.

"No,"

Reisi glanced at her from over his shoulder and with a serious voice, he commented, "You haven't looked me in the eye yet, Awashima-kun,"

She froze at his words, but she didn't look at him still.

Reisi turned around fully again and walked over to her, coming to stand directly in front of her. She could feel the warmth of his body so close to her, even though they were not touching and for a moment, she wanted to be in his arms again, just as it had been that night.

But she knew she couldn't be.

She had resolved herself to not be weak over men anymore.

Even if one of those men was the man she respected most.

Suddenly, a large calloused hand was cupping her face and forcing her to look upward. Seri found herself gazing into Reisi's dark eyes.

"Look at me," he murmured softly.

Seri blinked at him and swallowed hard.

"What do you have to tell me?"

Oh God, she thought, he was making it so hard!

The words couldn't leave her mouth and Reisi seemed to have become impatient, and even annoyed. So, he let her go.

"Does it involve Iwao?" Reisi asked in a much harder tone.

"Uh...no," she answered.

The Blue King sighed. "Come back to me when you have something on him,"

"Sir-"

"What is it Awashima?" he demanded, seemingly irritated.

She had to say it! She had to tell him!

And watching the way he acted, so nonchalantly, as if that night hadn't happened, as if he hadn't left a love bite on her collar bone, gave Seri the resolve in the form of anger to confess in a firm voice, "I came here today to personally hand you my resignation from Scepter 4,"

Reisi's expression did not change, but Seri felt the atmosphere change. It grew almost suffocating as if some voice had opened up and sucked out all the air from the room.

For she felt like she couldn't breathe.

Perhaps because the anger blazing in the eyes of Reisi Munakata had struck fear into her heart.

* * *

Yata Misaki walked through the hallowed halls of the High School he was currently assistant coach in and undercover Red Clan member. Thus far, he had picked up nothing about that guy, Iwao in the High School.

It was getting boring.

Even Saruhiko seemed to be busy because Yata didn't see him around at all.

He did see Emi and Chie though and he honestly liked the pair. He still blushed like an idiot around girls but perhaps his 'balls were growing' because he could interact with them more easily with the more he spoke to them.

Especially Emi.

She was a really nice, talkative girl. She listened to him, never criticized him.

Heck, she gave him a huge ego boost because she clung to ever single word he said because she was so fascinated by his skateboarding stories.

Yata hoped that when this was all over, maybe she would like to learn how to skateboard herself for she only liked to watch skateboarding. She never actually took part in it.

Yata didn't seem to think that there was anything strange about that fact.

* * *

"You're leaving?" Reisi repeated.

"I am," she responded. Gathering her courage she handed a folder to him which he automatically accepted. He opened it and pulled out some documents. They were her resignation papers, indicating that yes, indeed, she was leaving.

Reisi looked up at her. "Why?" he demanded.

"I think I need to focus my mind elsewhere,"

"I thought you liked Scepter 4,"

"I do,"

"Then why are you leaving?"

Seri shook her head. "I apologize for my abrupt departure, Captain but I think it's time for me to move on-"

"Why are you leaving?" Reisi repeated in a cold, hard voice.

She could feel that pressure again from him and it forced her to blurt out, "Because I don't want to work under a captain who leaves a mark on my neck and acts as if nothing happened!" she snapped out angrily.

Reisi's eyes narrowed.

* * *

Izumo walked through the halls of the school with his PDA in his hand. On the screen was the image of a sad looking cat. It was an orange kitten with wide blue eyes that seemed to be too large on it face.

Those damned eyes seemed to bore into his very soul.

Seemingly matching the cat with hair color and expression was Fujishima.

"Take. Him. Back," Izumo ordered in a hard voice.

"But he was cold...and hungry. And it was raining," Fujishima pointed out, his eyes growing wider. He had learned this trick from Anna. It worked quite often with Izumo.

"I didn't leave my bar in yours and Kamamoto's hands just for it to turn into an animal shelter! Take it to your own house!"

"My mother is allergic to cats,"

"_I'm_ allergic to all those fleabags you bring in!"

The kitten meowed mournfully. Izumo could swear the damned thing was about to cry.

Slapping a palm to his forehead, he responded. "Fine! But if I find a single flea when I get back I'll have your head for this Fujishima!"

Then he hung up.

He was nearing the tearoom and to his surprise, he heard voices coming from it.

* * *

"So says the woman who appeared with another one before me," Reisi commented and Seri's hand automatically touched the mark Izumo had left on her.

"This was after," she said and for some reason, it made her feel ashamed, as if she had appeared to her King as some lewd sort of woman.

Reisi snorted. "It's to him you're going, isn't it? Suoh's second in command,"

"You're wrong," Seri stated, shocked.

Reisi reached out and caught her wrist in his hand. "I have a lot of respect for you, Seri," He deliberately used her first name. "whatever the reason for that mark, I will let it slide," Almost gently, on a softer note, he continued, "I need you here in Scepter 4."

Seri could feel herself melting at his words. She really didn't want to leave but she had to for her own emotional state of mind.

"Why? Tell me why you did it?" she asked in a hurt whisper.

Reisi sighed. "Because I need you and I don't want you to leave," he answered.

"In other words, you don't see me as a woman. I'm just your second in command and you respect me and my abilities in your clan enough to force yourself to be with me," she murmured.

Reisi's eyebrows rose a fraction. "Awashima-kun, it's not like that,"

She had heard similar words from Izumo.

She shook her head and pulled away her wrist from him. She stood up and walked to the door, not caring that Reisi was following after her.

"I'm not in a mental state to stay in my post, Captain. I need to sort myself out and my emotions," she told him.

Reisi caught her shoulder just before she stopped at the door.

"Then why don't you take a temporary leave of absence?" he demanded.

Seri shoved his arm away. "Because of you! You think I can forget this?!" she retorted and pulled down her blouse, revealing his fading mark.

In return, Reisi caught hold of her neck and let his thumb slide over the one Izumo had put on her. She shivered at the feel for the skin was still tender and his calloused thumb was rough. She couldn't say that she hated his touch, but she hated his intentions toward her.

"And what about this then? You ran from me to him?" he continued. There was anger in his eyes and his thumb stroked slowly, with increased pressure, not quite enough to hurt her, but enough to let her know that he was _not_ a happy man.

"It wasn't like that," she told him and tried to pull away, not caring that she was using the same words as both he and Izumo now.

Suddenly, the door slid open, and there stood Izumo.

With a big smile after looking over the scene, he grabbed Seri's shoulders and pulled her away from Reisi.

"Now now, Munakata-san. That isn't the way to treat a lady. If she doesn't want to be held, you can't force her,"

Reisi adjusted his glasses and fixed Izumo with a serious look. "I see, so you've come for her,"

"And I thought I walked in on a lover's spat," Izumo returned, smiling. He obviously didn't really know what the pair had been arguing about.

"So you're leaving Scepter 4 for this man," Reisi spoke to Seri.

She narrowed her eyes angrily.

Izumo was genuinely surprised. He looked at her. "Is it true? Are you coming to me?"

Seri knocked off his hands. "I'm not coming to a frivolous man like you, Kusanagi Izumo," she coldly informed him.

Reisi and Izumo were looking at her with frowns on their faces.

Seri looked at her King. "I thought you knew me better than that. I had...deep respect for you, Captain, and I still do, even after everything but to be told that a man wants me simply to keep me on his team is an insult to me as a woman. And you," she turned to Izumo, "I'm not someone for you to screw around with just because you have the opportunity."

She turned away. "Now if you excuse me, I have a date with my new teaching assistant,"

"Date?" the pair echoed behind her, quite stunned.

In reply, Ryosuke Natsume was hurrying toward her with a bunch of flowers in his hand. "Awashima-san, I hope I met you in good time. Are you ready?"

Seri nodded.

Ryosuke bowed respectfully to Izumo because he was still his superior in the Red Clan and he nodded to Reisi before he left with his arm around Seri.

Seri never turned back to look at the two.

"May I offer you some tea, Kusanagi-san?" Reisi asked.

"Only if you allow me to add alcohol to it," Izumo responded.

* * *

_Several cups of alcohol-spiked tea later and two drunk men:_

"It won't work out Munakata," Izumo was telling Reisi.

"Awashima and Natsume Ryosuke? I know that," Reisi stated as he took a long drink from his cup.

"You're only saying that because _I_ know that,"

"Oh shut up Kusanagi," Reisi said and drank again.

Izumo was silent.

Reisi spoke. "It's not going to work out Kusanagi,"

"I know that,"

"You don't even know what," Reisi stated.

"Of course I know what. Seri and Ryosuke," Izumo stated and took a drink from his cup. His mind was rather sluggish and he barely realized that he and the Blue King were repeating each other's words.

"She's too strong willed for him," Reisi said.

"Ryosuke's too kind," Izumo agreed.

"She respects me,"

"She loves me," Izumo shot back and there was a long moment of silence.

Reisi narrowed his eyes at Izumo. "Beyond her respect for me, there is love,"

"And beyond her love for there's respect," Izumo said.

The both glared at each other angrily.

Suddenly, Izumo's expression softened. "If she chose you, I'd be unhappy but I wouldn't be angry," Izumo admitted.

Reisi snorted. "And if she chose you, I would be most angry about it," He sighed. He didn't think he would be able to get over his second in command leaving him for the the Red Clan's second in command.

"Munakata?"

"What?"

"What's so special about her?" Izumo asked him. He really couldn't figure out why, of all the women he could have chosen, it just had to be the vice commander of the Blue Clan.

"She's strong willed, confident, forward thinking. She doesn't shirk her duties," Reisi replied with a great deal of pride.

"And she has tits," Izumo stated with a big grin. He didn't think much of the fact that he had punished two students for their nickname of 'Ms Tits and Ass'.

Reisi showed him a shocked face that only the effects of alcohol could produce on the Blue King's face. "Don't speak like that of Awashima-kun!"

Izumo smirked. "Come on, Munakata, you can't tell me you've never noticed the way they bounce when she pulls out her sword? And I bet that her uniform is _especially_ designed for you to get a peak out of her panties,"

Reisi glared at him. "The previous king chose the design for female members. It was meant to be a joke because he didn't think any women would actually end up in the clan. Until Awashima-kun. Thankfully she's so strict and disciplined that men think twice before trying to look up her skirt,"

"You're the only man capable of getting away with it," Izumo told him slyly.

"Bite your tongue, Kusanagi," Reisi snapped but there was a tell-tale blush along his cheek bones. Izumo knew it was only because of the alcohol the blue king was actually unwittingly displaying some shame.

Izumo chuckled. "She's special, Munakata. Even though circumstances between me and her may not be the best to allow us together, if she leaves the Blue Clan we could make it work,"

Reisi gave him a serious look. "She's still a member of my clan. I haven't approved her resignation papers yet. A relationship between members within the clan is frowned upon because it can get in the way of a work relationship, especially one like mine and hers but I believe we are professional enough to maintain it,"

Izumo grinned. Alcohol had made him and Reisi Munakata confidants. It really did strange things to a person; a drunk man's words were a sober man's honesty. Izumo's experience as bartender, as well as his own with alcohol had taught him that.

"You think so, Munakata?"

"Yes. And I would request that you stop gazing at her underwear whenever you meet her in uniform,"

Before Izumo could reply, a familiar male voice demanded, "Why are you drinking with that woman?"

And yet another, of Izumo's precious adopted daughter, "Izumo looks at someone's underwear?"

* * *

_**A/N: Don't worry, there's still a bit more on Seri/Izumo/Reisi. I promise. Or maybe I should just leave her with Ryosuke? Lol nah. I have a good idea for those three. **_

_**More drunk Izumo and Reisi to come. I think the possibility of Izumo and Reisi drinking together is highly unlikely but in the context of the story and the given situation, it's possible :P**_

_**Tea and alcohol: Reisi and Izumo. **_

_**Thanks so much for all of you who follow, favorite and review this story. Thank you for taking the time to do so, I truly appreciate it and you are the ones who really motivate me to keep on writing.**_

_**I'll also start dealing with Iwao's issues soon.**_

_**For all those who reviewed:**_

**WitchyCloudPine: Whether or not you leave the same review, I appreciate that you take the time to do so and you're always very nice when you review and your words motivate me. Thank you :)**

**Indochine: Thanks for reviewing! *Something's gonna happen* Lol, well keep reading to know if it's true! Well, Seri's trying to get her head together right now :) And yes, it was stupid of Izumo to put a hickey on her neck as well! Well, jealous men do stupid things ;) Are you studying nursing or medicine or something? Because I remember once you mentioned that had a class on morphine. **

**Arius the Heretic: Lol, thanks for saying how much you liked the last chapter, and the plot twist! I guess because the chapter wasn't really focused on Mikoto and Anna, it seemed like their fluff was cut short :/ But don't worry, they ARE the main focus of the story and soon, we'll be back on track with those two :)**

**xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx: Thanks for those words! They mean a lot to me!**

**Blueeyes775: Thank you so, so, much for taking the time to let me know what was going on with laxus23. I ended up having a look at her reviews and saw how you were defending me. That really means so much to me, you won't believe. That person was actually PMing me, asking me all sorts of questions about my story like what was going to happen etc. and I was like, 'i won't tell you. it's not fair to my other readers' Even though she tried to at least do the right thing and let me know what was going on, it was really upsetting to me, and what you did for me, really comforted me. Thanks so much, and I'm glad you like how the story is going. I hope I keep you interested in it, and that you go on to read the sequel. Thanks again, blueeyes775, God bless :)**

**Ihadyprilla: You're back! Awesome! I wondered where you went! Glad to hear from you :)**

**Mienchan-ish: *Hugs back* Aww...hope you like this chapter though!**

**Little Weirdo: My exam went horrible, but hopefully I can make things up with the final. I'm sure High School isn't easy at all-it wasn't easy for me either. But bear with it, education is important! Glad you liked the chapter, and the part with him threatening Lion-O :)**

**kp: Thanks for your review and I'm glad that you like how the story is going so far and that you understand why Anna can't continue to sleep with her King :)**

**Hodgeheg: But is there hope for them now that she's gone off with Ryosuke? Lol, maybe there's still hope for Seri/Izumo :)**

**pok3s16: Aw...Reisi really is a jerk when he's ready! Izumo as well! I'm glad the chapter put a smile on your face. I love you too! *Hugs back***

**sereneskydragonslayer: One of the interesting things I always take note of are people's usernames. I like yours; it really stands out :) It seems that her love life is a bit less complicated now...or is it? Hm...Hope you enjoy the future chapters :)**

**xNightDreamerx: The two hot men still like her even though she's gone off with someone else ;) Hope you look forward to future updates :)**

**Diclonius57: Whenever you see this, thanks for reviewing :)**

**Some Reviewer: My. Awesome. Reviewer. I laughed when you said that Fushimi was the real victim. He really was! Thanks for those words about the OCs. I appreciate that. **

**nannerlovessnickers: Oooh I LOVE when Ren goes all into Emperor mode with her and I'm like, 'Oh yea, kiss her! Kyoko, fall for him!' and then she freezes up and I facepalm myself :/ You haven't embarrassed yourself in anyway and your words truly make me feel honored and it's words like those that really encourage me. Thank you so much. God bless :)**

**D: I'm glad you respect Seri for her choice:) Oh believe me, I'm resisting the temptation of ice cream and failing miserably. And it's my own damned fault :/**

**Nobody Special: My Special Reviewer! Maybe the caffeine high was an equivalent of male PMS considering his workload! Well, Mikoto seems to be softening up a bit toward Kei. **

**_Thanks again, all of you._  
**

**_What did you think of this chapter? Let me know._**

**_God bless :)_**


	40. Discovered

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_**WARNING: OOCNESS CAUSED BY DRUNKEN BEHAVIOR!**_

_*****DRINK RESPONSIBLY WHEN YOU ARE OF LEGAL AGE AND DO NOT ACCEPT DRINKS FROM STRANGERS. DRINK WITH PEOPLE YOU CAN TRUST AND ALWAYS ENSURE THAT WHEN YOU ARE OUT CONSUMING ALCOHOL, THAT THERE'S SOMEONE WHO YOU CAN RELY ON IF THERE'S AN EMERGENCY! IT'S ALL FUN AND GAMES UNTIL SOMEONE GETS HURT!**_

_**BE RESPONSIBLE! VALUE YOURSELF ENOUGH TO HAVE THAT KIND OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELF NO MATTER HOW THE CHARACTERS OF THIS STORY MAY ACT!**_

_********I know I haven't updated in a while and I'm really sorry about that. On top of school, exams and assignments, I ended up having to do a two week program that took up so much of my time so I couldn't update as I wanted to. I also have some issues going on at a personal level so sometimes I'm not really in a proper frame of mind to really be writing a good chapter. I'm so sorry, and I really don't know if it's possible for me to update as I used to before. Although I will try to, my updates will more than likely be very inconsistent. I hope you still keep up with the story and enjoy it. Thank you :)**_

_**Anyway, hope you like this chapter. **_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

**_Chapter 40: Discovered_**

_Some nights he just had to leave the bar. It wasn't like he had a problem being somewhere he could drink as much as he wanted to, it was just that there were times when his mood was so black and cloudy that he knew he had get out of the bar before it affected anyone with it's negativity. _

_But some nights he would drink too much and forget to sober up before coming home. _

_And Izumo would bitch at him while he had a headache. _

"_Go away," Mikoto grumbled as he trudged up the staircase. _

_Izumo didn't listen as he continued shouting from the bottom of the staircase, "Do you have any idea how worried we were? No call, nothing! You could have died for all we had known!"_

"_Ah, King won't die so easily," Totsuka commented beside the bartender, in hopes of calming him down. _

_Izumo shot a glare at the younger man, immediately shutting him up. "What about Anna?! He obviously didn't consider her feelings because she was up more than half the night waiting on him because she was also worried! We only got her to sleep an hour ago!"_

_Totsuka smiled uncomfortably. "Yes, that's true but your shouting is going to wake her up, Izumo," Totsuka pointed out._

_Izumo paused at his words, then sighed for he was right; they could wind up waking up the poor girl. _

_Suddenly. Totsuka gasped. "King!"_

_Mikoto had slumped against the banister of the staircase._

* * *

_Anna had fallen into an uncomfortable sleep and was awakened by strange noises like, "That's what you get for drinking too much! You should know better than to come home in such a state!"_

_In the dead silence of the night, she heard the sound of water running, and then Mikoto's voice saying sluggishly, "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not interested in you that way,"_

"_A guy who stinks of alcohol the way you do shouldn't be talking like that!"_

_Totsuka chuckled as he squeezed bubble bath mix into the tub of warm water where their very drunk King was sitting with his back turned to him. _

"_You were staring at it," Mikoto muttered as he leaned against the back of the tub. Mikoto had come home so drunk that he could barely move and Izumo had been wondering if he had gotten alcohol poisoning. After forcing him to wash down several glasses of water, he hadn't sobered up and they had just managed to get him to the bathroom where they were able to run a bath, get him to strip and shove him inside of it. _

"_Ah, Izumo is fascinated by the sight of the King's package," Totsuka commented as the bath began to foam up all around the water, therefore blocking Mikoto's lower half._

_Totsuka received a whack on the head from a furious Izumo. "Who the heck would fascinated by something they already have?!"_

_Totsuka laughed despite the bump on his head. "I thought you might be surprised because his is bigger than yours,"_

_Even Mikoto seemed to realize what he was saying and both Izumo and Mikoto were watching him in dumbfounded silence. _

"_How...would you know if his was bigger than mine?" Izumo asked. Then, he looked a little frightened and suspicious. "Are you some kind of pervert? Have you been spying on me?"_

_Totsuka frowned. Then he smiled again. "Of course not! I was just speaking theoretically that you might have some envy toward-"_

"_Tatara...Izumo?" came a soft voice. _

_The said pair looked to the doorway to see a cute little girl wearing on a red nightgown that had long sleeves and fell to her ankles, rubbing her sleepy eyes. She was little and adorable that the two men wanted to hug her._

_Still rubbing her sleepy eyes, she entered the bathroom and walked to Tatara who was stooping by the tub. He had his arms open to her. _

"_Poor little Anna," he crooned as he hugged her to him like the perfect big brother. "Did we wake you?"_

_She buried her face into his shoulder and nodded, her nose rubbing the soft material of his shirt. Tatara was always so warm and comforting. His red was a special kind of red; it was little, and yet it stood out. _

"_Mikoto...?" she whispered, about to ask for him._

_There came a grunt from the tub. Mikoto had zoned out with what was going on for he was so damned tired and his head was pounding._

_And his mood hadn't improved. If anything, he was feeling worse and he regretted going out. _

_Anna released Izumo and touched Mikoto's wet shoulder. _

"_Mikoto?" she whispered._

_He opened his eyes. He had been in that swirling darkness of negativity and upon the sight of the small child, gazing at him with large, red tinged eyes, he felt like he was looking at the most adorable thing in the world and somehow, the sight of her alleviated some of his bad mood. _

_He looked away from her and sank deeper into the tub, not particularly willing to show anyone just how much of a soft spot he had for the small child._

"_Mikoto?"_

_He grunted. _

"_Don't go again," she said quietly. _

_Mikoto glanced at the pretty child. _

_Indeed, he had worried her. She looked like she needed sleep, but Anna would go nowhere now that he was home and would remain at his side unless he told her otherwise._

_And he didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise._

_So, coming somewhat to his senses, he shifted in the bath so that his naked back was revealed to her. _

"_Wash my back," he ordered._

"_Mikoto, that's a lewd thing to tell a little girl to do," Izumo chided him._

_Mikoto shrugged. "She doesn't care,"_

_He was right because Anna casually picked up a white washcloth and began to wash Mikoto's back, based on where she could reach because she was so little. _

_Izumo and Totsuka looked at each other and smiled. It was a strange thing for the King to ask the child to do, but they supposed that he told her to do it because it would make her feel better now that he was home. It was probably even his own way of making it up to her that he had come home so late._

_Anna's administrations were very gentle and Izumo kept an eye on her, ensuring that she did not witness anything weird like the sight of Mikoto's 'package'. However, because the bubble bath had foamed up the water, any lower body nudity was covered._

_In fact, everything seemed fine until Anna, while focusing on a spot on the middle of Mikoto's back, questioned, "Izumo, is Mikoto's package bigger than yours?"_

_Izumo, Mikoto and Totsuka froze._

_Izumo was stuttering to find words while Mikoto slapped a hand to his face and shook it in exasperation. _

_Totsuka seemed to be the only level headed one. He smiled kindly and he acted as if Anna had asked nothing weird for he knew that she didn't even know what a 'package' was. He took the washcloth from her and handed it to Mikoto. _

"_Anna, we can't let you keep awake like this anymore. Time for bed,"_

_If Anna sensed that he was hiding anything from her, she didn't say it and allowed herself to be taken to bed, much to Izumo and Mikoto's relief. _

"_Smells like her," Mikoto muttered as he used the cloth to wash the rest of him._

_Izumo chuckled as he walked to the door. "That's because that's Anna's bubble bath Tatara used,"_

* * *

Yes, there were certainly times when Mikoto got very drunk, but that had probably been the last time Mikoto had gotten himself _that_ drunk somewhere outside Bar Homra. It seemed that he hadn't liked knowing how much he had caused Anna to worry and loose sleep so he tried not to go out and get hammered like that again.

Except for one incident that had happened. This was a couple of months after Tatara's death.

* * *

_She was a little cold because Mikoto wasn't in bed. He had gone out some time earlier on a job and had called to say that he was having a drink somewhere. Normally he wouldn't care to tell Izumo what time he was coming home, but out of consideration for Anna he just said that he'd be back late._

_Anna suspected that the job he went on probably had a terrifying sight and that was why he had gone out. Normally cases with child trafficking seemed to have a bad effect on him. Those children had haunted looks in their eyes for all the suffering they had endured and it had a terrible impact on Mikoto. Izumo had once mentioned that it was because although Mikoto knew he was confidant enough to protect her, it did not mean that he could not forget the past when she had been tortured and sometimes it bothered him that she might have had that look too, had she not learned to control her facial expressions so well._

_He went out after these cases and wouldn't come home until the early hours of the morning when she would be asleep. Before she slept so much in his bed, she would hear his room door open and shut with his entry._

_But this was the first time he had gone out so late since she had started to constantly sleep next to him or in his arms, and she was a bit cold that night, even in his room._

_Somehow she had managed to fall asleep. Sometime later, perhaps at one in the morning, she heard voices from downstairs. She could hear Izumo shouting and then Mikoto's footsteps as he headed up the staircase to the bathroom. _

_She wasn't sure if he had drunken any water to sober up. Since it was so late, she began to fall asleep again, only to be awakened to the mild scent of soap and minty toothpaste as Mikoto's nose nuzzled her hair slowly. It was strange how when she was awake, he could nuzzle her and she would fall asleep almost immediately. Yet, when she was asleep, he could do the same thing and awaken her._

_"Anna," he mumbled and rest his smooth cheek against hers. He was sitting at her side and he was bent over her figure with his arms on either side of her head as she lay on her side, so that she was completely engulfed in his warmth._

_Anna opened her eyes. "Mikoto," she whispered his name sleepily._

_He grunted and lifted his head. He blinked down at her as she rolled onto her back and looked up at him._

_It seemed that Mikoto wasn't quite sober yet. Even after his shower. Anna didn't know where he went or why he didn't sober up before coming home because usually he would do so. _

_"You don't look like them," Mikoto commented. _

_It was dark in the room and long moments seemed to pass before Mikoto covered her body with his heavier upper body and he pressed his nose into her hair at her temple. She could still catch a slight scent of bourbon on him. _

_She waited for him to speak again in his deep voice that was gravelly with some kind of misery. "Do you feel like them?" he questioned._

_"Who?" she asked quietly._

_"Children," he answered on a quieter tone. "Children who hurt bad."_

_Anna sat up and he leaned off her a little. She lifted her little hands and touched his cheeks, marveling at how unexpectedly smooth they were. "I have Mikoto, I'm not hurt anymore," she assured him and with that, she was cuddled once more in his strong arms as they both exited reality to the land of dreams in the early hours of the morning. _

* * *

Well, a drunk Mikoto was certainly different from a drunk Izumo for Izumo was kneeling in front of her and his arms were around her waist, while his head was lying against her stomach with his cheek rubbing against the material of her school uniform. Anna's hands had automatically touched his hair and was gently stroking the thick, light colored mass.

"My Anna, my sweet _imouto_," he murmured, lovingly, addressing her as 'little sister'. Izumo's feel was definitely different from Mikoto's and as she grew older, she found that she came to understand Izumo more and more and how much he had to deal with in the clan, but gladly accepted. To her, he was something in between 'dad' and 'big brother'.

"You mean '_tou-san_," Mikoto muttered with his hands shoved in his pockets and eying his drunk second in command with a bored expression. Had it been anyone other than Izumo holding Anna like that, Mikoto would have been pissed, but this was Izumo-Anna's legal guardian.

Izumo lifted his head and scowled at Mikoto. "Since _certain_ _people_ began to refer to me as 'old' I decided to make myself younger by becoming Anna's big brother instead of daddy!"

"You're more like a mother hen," Mikoto said with a sigh.

"You were always an insulting little shit, Mikoto," Izumo snarled.

Mikoto merely looked at him, still bored.

Anna, however, lightly tapped the top of Izumo's blond head with her fist. He looked up at her through purple lens.

"What, Anna?"

"Don't be mean to Mikoto,"

Before Izumo could speak, Reisi did a few feet away where he was still drinking his alcoholic tea. "How disrespectful. It sounds like your authority is being undermined, Suoh,"

Mikoto smirked then. "Is that why everyone is on this side of the room with me, and you're drinking by yourself, alone on the other side, Munakata?"

Munakata lifted his nose in the air, clearly miffed.

"Even your second in command left you," Mikoto continued, obviously having heard some of his drunk discussion with Izumo.

Reisi glared at Mikoto. "You're pitying me, aren't you?"

"I'm not pitying you," Mikoto assured him.

"Yes you are! I can see it in your eyes!" he shouted and threw his cup at Mikoto who simply stepped to the side and allowed the cup to sail past his head.

Izumo turned his head and smirked evilly at the Blue King. "Ah, the poor mushroom is all alone,"

Munakata twitched at the word 'mushroom'. (**A/N: 'Reishi' is a type of mushroom and 'Reisi' is pronounced 'ReiSHi' in the anime)**

Suddenly, the room seemed to grow darker and Reisi slowly got to his feet. He was pulling out his sword (no one knew where he even got it from).

"A pervert who watches women's panties should not speak so arrogantly," Reisi stated.

"You said that before," Anna commented and somehow her voice must have penetrated Reisi's drunken rage for the black aura disappeared.

Reisi nodded as he replaced his sword. "Your guardian peeks at women's underwear. You must be on your guard, Kushina-chan," he warned her in a very serious tone of voice.

Izumo let Anna go and scowled at Reisi.

"It was just one time, mushroom!"

Reisi snorted. "As if I believe that,"

"Don't put me in the same class as you!"

Anna's voice spoke again, a little more quietly "Mikoto, why do Izumo and Munakata-san sound like dirty old men?"

The two men turned to see that she was holding on tightly to Mikoto's arm as she watched the two, unblinkingly, yet they could tell she was being cautious.

Mikoto patted her head comfortingly. "Probably because they are,"

"Anna, I would never peek at you. I promise," Izumo assured her solemnly, "It was only Awashima-san and that's because of the way her uniform rides up when she walks. The Blue King does it because he has the opportunity to get away with it,"

Reisi grabbed Izumo by his collar. "Don't fill that child's head with lies!"

The two got into a scuffle and Anna and stepped into the room. She looked around and walked over to a wooden cupboard.

"What are you doing?" Mikoto questioned behind her.

"Izumo taught me a special tea to get someone sober," she answered and checked the labels on the various jars of tea she saw in Reisi's cupboard. She had heard that he was a tea fanatic so she was quite sure that the Blue King must have the herbs somewhere around.

Mikoto knew about the special tea. Izumo had only discovered it quite recently, and interestingly, the person who had informed him of it was Seri, who must have then learned about it from Reisi.

Sure enough, Anna found the right tea and proceeded to brew it on the traditional little stove Reisi had.

"How come they are evenly matched?" Anna asked as she glanced over at the two men who were still fighting on the floor.

Although their movements were so sluggish, even a toddler couldn't get hurt.

Mikoto replied, "Because their senses are so dull that they can't summon their power to help them,"

Kings were powerful and no clansman from any clan could actually match them, save for another King.

Unless it happened to be that that King was drunk.

Such was the case with Reisi Munakata.

Anna nodded, understanding.

A short time later, two new cups of tea were set before the men. The two men had been wrestling on the floor when Anna came by and they stopped immediately sat down to drink the brew.

"Anna, my baby sister, did you make tea for big brother?" Izumo crooned at her and lifted his cup.

"You sound like a creep," Mikoto stated and Izumo scowled at him.

Reisi was chuckling as he lifted up his cup. "Thank you, Kushina-chan. I appreciate your efforts,"

"Cheers, Munakata," Izumo stated and lifted his cup, hardly noticing that some of the hot brew spilled from the cup and fell onto his hand, scalding his skin. He was too drunk to really notice.

Reisi nodded and lifted his cup.

The two moved to take big gulps of the liquid. Maybe they drank too much to really notice it, for it was only when they set down their cups that Izumo commented, "That was nasty,"

However, it was clear from the more adjusted looks on their faces that the two men were more sober now.

Izumo was gazing at his burn. "What happened?"

"You burned yourself with your tea," Reisi replied and stood up. He swayed slightly, showing that while he had sobered up somewhat, he was still not sober enough.

"Where are you going?" Anna asked him.

He had a dead serious look in his eyes. "To look for my second in command,"

"You can't do that," Izumo said and stood up.

Reisi merely glanced at him and Izumo felt obligated to explain, "_I'll_ look for her. I don't know what she thinks she's doing with Ryosuke-kun but I don't think it's a good idea,"

Reisi nodded. "Yes, she's going off with another member of the Red Clan,"

"And it doesn't make any sense because she could just be with me!"

Reisi glared at him. "She will not be with you!"

Izumo glared back, clearly not intimidated.

"It would be easier for her to be with Ryosuke because although he is a member of the Red Clan, his family is affiliated with the other clans as well because of their work on strains and the Natsume family isn't as rowdy as the rest of the Red Clan," Anna stated.

Izumo and Reisi stared at her.

"Are you thirteen? Why can't you ever sound your age?" Izumo demanded.

Reisi glanced at him. "Thirteen?" Then he turned to Anna and bent slightly over her, making her automatically lean toward Mikoto. "You look like fifteen."

Mikoto stepped in front of Anna then. He narrowed his eyes at Reisi.

"Don't be a pedophile, Munakata," he stated coldly.

Reisi drew back, smirking. He adjusted his glasses. "I'm not the one who has her spend the night in my bed,"

"That isn't your business, is it?" Mikoto responded, clearly not at all offended by his words. Reisi shrugged.

"You never did tell her how much you missed her and called out her name in your sleep when we were after Toshi?"

Mikoto glared. He recalled falling asleep under a tree and dreaming about Anna who was having a nightmare. Then when he had awakened, Reisi had tried to hit him with Yata's bat. What Reisi said wasn't really something that the adult Mikoto would not really bother with. He would probably just sneer and shrug it off.

However, extremely bad tempered Mikoto of age fourteen did not have that kind of patience to be kind. Not when Reisi made Mikoto sound like some kind of...of _pansy _who cried in his sleep for a little girl.

No, that was too unbecoming of the ferocious lion he was!

In response, Mikoto lifted a fist and slammed it into the table, effectively breaking it in half, all the while keeping a straight face and unblinking eyes.

Izumo jumped, and even Anna's eyes widened and she stared at Mikoto, blinking in shock. Mikoto stood up.

"At least I didn't chase off my female clansman," Mikoto spoke.

Reisi's eyes narrowed at his words. "I didn't chase her off," he stated. "she chose to go."

"But if you had really tried, you probably could have kept her," Izumo added with a big grin.

"I don't want to hear that from the man who tried to take her away from me," Reisi said in a low, cold voice.

"Take her away from you? You make her sound as if she was yours!" Izumo heckled him.

"She was mine," Reisi said in this calm, collected way that surprised everyone and made them realize that Reisi wasn't playing games.

He truly believed that Seri was his.

Izumo returned a similar look. "She was mine long before she was yours,"

Mikoto took hold of Anna's arm and pulled her to her feet. "Mikoto?" she whispered.

"We're going," he responded and released her. He shoved both hands in his pockets.

"But-"

"I don't want to hear two idiots argue over a woman who doesn't want them," he told her and his eyes remained fixed on the two specific idiots.

Before they could go, the door opened and there stood Seri, whose eyes widened in shock at the sight of what she was seeing: Izumo and Reisi looking quite disheveled in appearance with their hair all over the place and their shirts pulled up in different places as if they had been in a fight. They both smelled awful, as if they had been drinking all night long.

The table in front of them where she would normally have tea with Reisi was split in two and behind that table stood Anna and a young version of the Red King.

"What-What happened?" she demanded.

"Oh, it's you. Thought you had a date," Izumo muttered.

Reisi snorted. "I hope you had a wonderful time with your new love interest, Awashima-kun,"

Seri narrowed her eyes angrily at the pair. "First of all, I came back early because Ryosuke-kun is allergic to shrimp and the food we were given had shrimp so we came home early. Second of all, he is _not_ my love interest. We just had a casual date as friends because I wanted male companionship of someone who is _honest_ and _upfront_ with me," she said.

Izumo cringed slightly at her words for he knew that she was getting at the fact that she had basically been tugged around by both him and Reisi without really knowing what either of them wanted from her.

However, Reisi said nothing to that. Instead, he informed her, "Your retirement documents do not exist, Awashima-kun,"

Her eyes widened and she turned her full attention to him. "What?"

He leaned over her, and being at the height he was, it forced her to draw back slightly. He caught hold of her chin between his thumb and forefinger and his dark, beautiful eyes were on her. "You will not be retiring from Scepter 4 anytime soon,"

Seri tried to push him away, but his free arm went around her waist and pulled her against his warm, hard body.

Almost kindly, understandingly, he was saying to her, "You won't be happy outside. You know this,"

Seri pushed him away. "You can't be serious, Captain. It is my right to leave if I want to,"

He shook his head and let her go. "Not unless I approve your papers and I do not, Awashima-kun,"

Suddenly, Seri was grasped by the waist and pulled from the back to lean against Izumo's body. Izumo was taller, but his hair fairer and his expression more friendly, but flirtatious.

"You can always come over to me, Seri-chan. You _know_ I would take good care of you,"

"He's the perfect '_Kaa-san_," Mikoto happened to put in, describing Izumo as a mother.

Izumo froze at his words. "Why are you butting in?"

Mikoto, short as he was in comparison to Izumo, walked up to his second in command. Without removing his eyes from Izumo, he grasped Seri by her arm and shoved her away so that Reisi was the one to catch her. She gasped when she had been pulled and cried out when she fell into the safety of her King's arms.

"M-Mikoto?" Izumo said, unsure of what Mikoto wanted.

Mikoto, sour faced as usual, lifted his hand and snatched away Izumo's glasses. Izumo waited to see what Mikoto wanted.

Suddenly, Mikoto's hand grabbed his comrade's face and forcefully, he pushed him downward and smashed his face into the ground.

Anna hurried over to help Izumo but Mikoto lifted his arm, stopping her.

Anna grasped onto it. "But Mikoto-"

He turned his head to look at her and his eyes remained on her for a long, silent moment which spoke volumes to her of what he was currently feeling.

Mikoto was angry.

He turned away from her and looked at Reisi who still held Seri protectively in his arms.

"That's yours until she leaves," Mikoto said to him and Reisi nodded.

The young red king proceeded to stoop down beside his comrade who was lifting his head that had blood pouring down its side.

"Mikoto, that wasn't nice..." he muttered. He had damages from past fights with Mikoto so this was something he was actually used to.

"Stop being an ass," Mikoto said to him.

Izumo groaned and sat up.

Seri wanted to run to Izumo and as she was about to push off Reisi's arms, he seemed to realize for he tightened his hold around her waist. She looked at him in surprise. He gave a strong look and she realized that he was silently telling her to leave Izumo alone simply because his King was speaking to him and she should not interfere.

She turned away and observed the scene while Reisi never removed his hold on her.

Izumo touched the blood on the side of his head. He made a face at it.

"Mikoto," Izumo said his old friend's name.

"You're irritating me, Izumo," Mikoto continued, ignoring anything his friend had to say. "you're my friend and my clansman. I want you to get your priorities straight."

It was something strange to hear a fourteen year old tell a twenty eight year old something like that, but as everyone understood the circumstances, there was nothing really amusing about it.

Izumo nodded, understanding that he had let things get to him more than he probably should have. He accepted the glasses from his King.

Immediately, Anna was at his side, tending to his wound while Mikoto turned away.

Izumo simply needed a reminder of where he truly belonged.

Meanwhile, Seri slowly drew away from Reisi who let her go. He turned away and both he and Seri were thinking along the lines of Mikoto Suoh: they had to get their priorities straight.

"Oi," Mikoto called out to the Blue Clan members.

They turned to him.

"What is it?" Reisi asked.

"What did Fushimi report?" Mikoto questioned.

"Only that Yatagarusu is shirking his duties in favor of a pretty girl," Seri answered.

Mikoto gave a slight frown. He grunted. "Fushimi is stalking him again, huh?"

* * *

Somewhere in the distance, Fushimi sneezed.

Was someone talking about him again?

He only hoped that it had nothing to do with Yata Misaki.

Fushimi quickly hid behind a wall when Yata, so oblivious to him, was completely engaged in his conversation with Emi.

Fushimi scowled. Yata was a complete and total idiot to have become caught up by a girl who did nothing but stroke his ego.

_Stupid, naive Misaki. _

* * *

"That all? Hasn't he done anything either?" Izumo questioned as he patted the band aid Anna had placed on the side of his head.

"Fushimi claims to be following a lead on a specific student. He has requested to be left alone in order to gather more information on her until he had compose a proper and concise report," Seri answered.

"Do we have time to wait on that?" Izumo asked.

"We wasted enough time on insignificant matters while he was doing all the work. I think we can trust him and his competency," Seri replied.

No one said anything, for it was true. Particularly in the case of Seri, Izumo and Reisi.

Anna didn't really have a role to play and Mikoto was carrying out his as the delinquent student although he tended to spend a lot of time with Anna. He could make excuses for himself and claim that he was concerned for her safety.

However, the truth was that he wanted to be near her. He loved her company and he wanted to be closer to her. Ever since he had changed to his fourteen year old self, Mikoto sometimes felt like his heart was out of control, like his power would threaten to burst out of him for at this age, it was so much more difficult for him to control it.

Yet, Anna's presence soothed that part of him, eased his heart and mind and made him feel warm inside.

Before anyone could speak, the suspect in question was walking along the corridor outside. Iwao paused and glanced inside the room.

Iwao smiled rather friendly and waved. "Hello. Is everything alright here? What happened to that table?"

Everyone automatically glanced at it, then back at him.

A long moment of silence passed for everyone was surprised at his abrupt presence and could think of no proper explanation for the table.

Anna stepped up then. "Are you a sensei?" she questioned innocently.

He smiled kindly at her. "Yes, I teach at the Boys' school. Suoh-kun knows me,"

Anna felt Mikoto's presence behind her and she could sense that he was not happy with her interacting with Iwao.

"He spends so much time in the detention room!" Iwao surveyed his surroundings and frowned. "did someone have a fight? I'm concerned."

Thankfully he did not know that two supposed senseis had gotten drunk in the room and had been bickering over the woman amongst them.

"The table was old," Mikoto responded and grasped Anna by the shoulder. He pulled her back and looked at her. "Aunt won't be happy if you don't call her soon, Anna. Go quickly," he ordered.

Anna nodded, realizing that he had made up that story and was silently telling her to get away from Iwao.

She bowed politely to everyone and hurried off.

"What a sweet girl. She's very pretty. Is she related to you?" Iwao questioned.

"Oh, that's his sister, Iwao-sensei," Izumo put in, attempting to sway the conversation away. "What about you? Where are you off to?"

"A student of mine asked me to help her with some work. Here club activities will be over soon, so I am heading over there to help her,"

Izumo nodded casually. "Ah I see. So you'll be helping her out there?"

"Yes," he responded and waved them off as it was time for him to go meet that student.

Four pairs of eyes followed him, each of which bore suspicion in them.

Iwao Orochi was sitting outside the archery club's main room with a pretty fourteen year old girl with thick black hair tied in two ponytails.

He smiled kindly as he went through a particular with her and she nodded, understanding what he was saying as he explained.

After an hour, the girl left and the handsome, rather bishounen man stood up and stretched his long, lithe arms. Then, he spoke aloud, "I'm heading to Yuki Natsume's now,"

* * *

"How may I help you?" Natsume asked her employee.

He was sitting before her in her plush office with a large smile. "I just wanted to clear up some things with you. I think it would be easier if you just told your henchmen to come out. Or rather should I say that those people from the Red and Blue clan can stop spying on me and come out,"

Natsume froze.

He knew.

Iwao continued grinning as Izumo entered through the window while Seri and Reisi came in through the door.

The three people stood before him. "Come now. You can't tell me that the Red King isn't here either?"

As if on cue, Mikoto strode in, yawning. In one moment, he realized what had happened. "Oh," Mikoto commented absentmindedly as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "we've been discovered."

"Yes we've been discovered. Where the hell have you been?" Seri retorted, pissed off. She hadn't been thinking of how she was planning to retire when she had followed after Iwao-all she could do was automatically fall back into Vice Captain mode and go after her King to deal with a potential criminal.

Mikoto didn't bother to explain to Seri. Truthfully, he had been dealing with Anna:

"_We're following after him!" Reisi informed Seri. _

"_Yes sir," she responded automatically for she was used to obeying him as he was her king. Reisi nodded to Mikoto. _

"_Go with them," he ordered Izumo. _

_Izumo was surprised. "What? What about you?"_

"_I'll come soon," Mikoto responded. Izumo nodded, for he seemed to understand while the blue clan members had no time to dwell on it for they hurried away._

_As soon as they disappeared, Mikoto turned around. "Come here, Anna,"_

_Obediently, the girl he had earlier instructed to leave was peeking at him from around the corner of the building. Then, she drew away from there and walked slowly, almost timidly toward him because she was quite sure that he was displeased with her because he knew she had understood that when he had told her to leave when Iwao had been speaking, he meant for her to go and stay the hell away. _

_She stopped when she reached a foot away from him. _

_Mikoto had his hands in his pockets and was standing with his side facing her as he watched her from the corner of eyes. _

_He lifted his hand and crooked his finger at her._

_Anna hesitated._

_He narrowed his eyes. "You want him back, don't you?"_

_Anna's eyes widened. She didn't need for him to tell her that he was referring to Lion-O. Noting that she understood what he meant, he repeated, "Come here," _

_When she started toward him again, he moved to walk into the tea room again. Anna followed after him. She was quite suspicious about his actions because Mikoto was deliberately baiting her by using Lion-O. He was up to something. _

_They bypassed the broken table and to the back of the room, and as Mikoto expected, there was a futon to the back that was already unfolded and lying there, waiting for someone to come take a nap on it. Mikoto had suspected that Reisi had one there for he had had a feeling that the Blue King had a fetish for tea rooms._

_After all, what kind of guy converted part of his office into a tea room? And Mikoto had been in there a couple of times during the situation with the Rise so he knew. _

_And didn't really care for tea._

"_Sit there," he commanded._

_She obeyed and went to the futon after removing her shoes. She knelt upon it and placed her hands on her lap before looking up at him with her wide dark eyes. She waited for him to speak._

_He stooped in front of her and placed on arm on a crooked knee. Using his free hand, he reached out and caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger. Beautiful golden eyes looked at her. _

"_Anna, I want you do stay away from Iwao,"_

_Anna did not say anything. _

_Mikoto's hand slid slowly to the side of her face before abruptly forcing her to look up at him to meet his dead serious gaze. "Do you understand me?"_

"_Why?" she whispered._

_Mikoto removed his hand. "Do I really need to spell out it for you that I do not want you near a pervert?"_

"_But-"_

"_Just because I'm fourteen now doesn't mean that I cannot handle one creep," Mikoto pointed out in a reasonable tone of voice. _

_Anna's eyes faltered a little. She hadn't meant for him to feel in anyway that she did not think him as powerful as before. _

"_It isn't that. I'm your clansman. I...want to help," she whispered._

_Mikoto gave her a long hard look. She was fidgeting slightly on her lap. She probably wanted to spend as much time with him as possible and make the most out of this situation in Seneca with him being younger because once it was over, his role was over in Seneca and he would have to return to Homra Bar in Shizume City. _

_Mikoto lowered his head to hers and kissed her cheek gently before pressing his forehead against hers. Softly, he nudged her nose with his and closed his eyes. _

"_I know. But there are some things I want you to not help with," he told her quietly._

_And he would never change his stance on that. Anna understood this. _

_Mikoto slowly shifted his head so that his nose was pressing at her temple, giving her his customary nuzzle. Anna leaned into him and sighed softly as he filled his arms with her, gathering her body closer to his. Despite her being a bit petite compared to him still, she fit wonderfully against him. Anna basked in this familiar warmth and tenderness, and began to forget about Lion-O. _

_It was only when her eyes started to close that she realized that he was deliberately forcing her to sleep. She put up a weak struggle, but she was pushed gently onto her back and his nose was in her hair again. _

_She caught hold of his shoulders but her arms fell back for she was so tired. She didn't know if as a king, Mikoto's special powers also including casting a spell of sleepiness over her. _

_She made a soft noise as sleep completely over took her as Mikoto lay on his side, nuzzling her temple that was free to his access._

_Mikoto lay there for a while beside her, listening to her breathe. He was propped on one of his elbows, simply looking at the very pretty girl who was lying beside him. _

_She was so precious to him. He lifted his hand and gently used his thumb to lightly stroke her cheek. _

_He was not the type to restrict Anna from anything, despite taking her out with them on dangerous missions. __But that was because they were the Red Clan; they got involved in these things and Anna wanted to get involved in it. She was a child, but an adult inside and perhaps some could fault him and his clan members for what they did, but they also knew that there was no way Anna would have been happy being left alone at the bar while they were out making a ruckus in the city with a drug lord of some sort. She had spent a long time being locked up before she came into the Red Clan and they did not intend to cage her. _

_But Mikoto drew the line here with Iwao. _

_Mikoto gave his princess one last kiss on her temple before he knelt up. He needed to go sort out this business with Iwao but he didn't want to leave Anna alone in this room. _

"_What's going here?" came a familiar voice._

_Mikoto glanced around to see Fushimi standing there. Fushimi had walked into the tea room expecting his King to be there, not this mini-Mikoto-san. It had taken him a full moment to recall that Suoh Mikoto had been changed into a younger version of himself for this case. _

_It was even more surprising to see him like that than the sight of Anna sleeping on Reisi Munakata's futon. _

"_Fushimi," Mikoto stated. The said man blinked at the shorter person. He was quite...fascinated. After all, it was not every day he towered in height over the Red King._

_Fushimi knew he shouldn't have said it but it just slipped out of his mouth: "Mikoto-**san** turned into Mikoto-**chan**,"_

_Mikoto stood up and walked to Fushimi. The former red clansman was a bit taken aback by the look of the person standing before him who was currently much shorter than him; no matter the height or age, Suoh Mikoto was every bit the King of the Red Clan._

_Fushimi hid just how intimidated he was by Mikoto's look and glanced around at the figure lying down on the futon. "Did something happen?"_

_He wouldn't admit it, but he was worried about Anna. _

_"She's fine," Mikoto responded, his eyes remaining on Fushimi. _

"_But-"_

"_Stay with her," Mikoto ordered._

_Fushimi was stunned by his words. "What? You're not my King anymore! I don't need to obey you!"_

_How dare this...this...**kid** ask that of him?!_

_Mikoto shoved his hands in his pockets. He merely looked at Fushimi. "Stay with her until I get back," he repeated and moved past Fushimi._

_Fushimi was stunned. _

_**Stay**? He had to stay with Anna?!_

_His mouth remained wide open as he watched his former King leave the room-a smaller version of the king who still had the same amount of authority. _

"_Brat," Fushimi muttered. _

_Then he realized something. Anna was someone very dear to Mikoto. Mikoto had just entrusted **him** with her._

_And that was what made the Blue clansman kneel beside the young girl and watch over her, just as the Red King had ordered._

* * *

"Why don't you seem surprised that Iwao knew what was going on?" Reisi asked. He was very curious.

Mikoto shrugged. "Because I spent a lot of time with him,"

They glanced at Iwao who was still smiling widely. "Mikoto-san, you've suspected for a while that I knew who you were, didn't you?"

Mikoto looked bored and yawned widely. His behavior irritated Seri; it offended her that such a lazy guy could have such a quick mind.

Meanwhile, Mikoto responded to Iwao, "I knew,"

"How did you know?" Izumo questioned.

Mikoto sighed. "Just a hunch,"

"Well, perhaps Iwao-sensei would like to share is story with us," Natsume stated, her eyes deliberately set on Iwao. Everyone turned to him, patiently awaiting for the smiling man to answer them.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much, all of you who reviewed, followed and favorited this story. I truly appreciate it, and I am so sorry for delaying the chapter for so long. So, maybe Seri is staying with the Blue Clan, or maybe she's not ;) **

**By the way, if you see some grammatical errors, feel free to PM them to me. **

***********Thank you Aqua Scans for your quick translations of the latest K memory of Red chapter!**

**For those who reviewed:**

**xNightDreamerx: Well, they were going to stalk her! But she came back too early! I'm glad you love Lion-O so much :)**

**SalamanderNatsu17: Thanks for your review :)**

**Ambivalencia: Well, to be fair I actually didn't ask for him to remove his story; if you had read the A/N properly you would have realized that while I was ranting (which probably caused you to misunderstand me), I had actually asked for anyone who reads his story to help him out. I removed most of ranting and what's actually left in the A/N is what had been up there with my ranting originally. However, I do know that you were trying to get me to turn the other cheek about the matter and I really appreciate that. To me, that is something important because it's people like you who try to resolve conflict instead of adding to it. So even if you may have misunderstood something largely due to my own ranting, it's good that you tried to get me to be more peaceful about the issue. ****Thank you for that. Anyway, you'll know what happens to Anna and Mikoto in the sequel to this story;) I don't know if you saw that I mentioned that I would be ending the story shortly after i deal with things with Iwao. Then I will do a sequel because the rating on the story might have to change from T to M. PS: I'm really glad to hear from you.**

**Nobody Special: My Special Reviewer! Aw...thank you so much for those wonderful words! They mean a lot to me :)**

**blueeyes775: Thanks so much again, blueeyes775. Your words, and knowing what you did for me, although I said it before really means a lot. I truly, truly appreciate that. I did try to sort out things with laxus23, and I think I'm leaving the matter alone, in God's hands. I wish laxus23 all the best and I hope that whatever happens, he learns to be more original and becomes a better writer. **

**Indochine: I was pretty upset about it. I think that the person might be really young. It's up to you if you want to read his story, but thank you so much for all the support you have given to mine. I appreciate that so much. Thanks again. I'm studying International Relations at a graduate level :)**

**Hodgeheg: I hope it wasn't an unpleasant surprise :)**

**Arius the Heretic: More drunk Reisi and Izumo...and Mikoto too! Lol! Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**

**xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx: I'm glad it made you laugh! Hope this chapter did as well ;)**

**Mienchan-ish: Sorry for the long wait for the new chapter!**

**Little Weirdo: Hope this chapter answered most of your questions! And yes, Mikoto is softening up a bit to Kei :) Yeah, the exam was horrible :/ How did your finals go?**

**sereneskydragonslayer: 'We'? You're more than one person? Well, whatever the case-awesome! Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well :)**

**Keikoku Yuki: I'm glad you like how I write them. I appreciate that :)**

**flower: Aww...thank you so much for those words! I really appreciate them! Thanks so much for reviewing! About the antagonists: I never really did go into a lot of detail with the Rise did I? ;) I'm glad you also liked the way I portrayed Neko. I was always so focused on Anna and Mikoto for the entire series that I never really bothered much with her. Maybe if I did, I probably would have liked her a lot more as well. I get my inspiration from K itself simply because I like Anna and Mikoto. A large plot can be a bit tedious sometimes because I tend to place more focus on the characters than the plot itself and it can be difficult to keep the storyline intact from time to time. Yes, there WILL be a sequel and that will actually be the final part to this story. Hope you continue to enjoy the story :)**

**nannerlovessnickers: How are things going with you and the story? OMG, do you know how many times I seriously facepalm myself over Kyoko?! Lol! Hey, the new chapter should be out soon, right? Anyway, I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter :)**

**WitchyCloudPine: I actually read some of your story a while back. At first I had been reluctant because I'm not a fan of pairing Mikoto with an OC, but I had to admit that your story had been really well-written and your OC was likable AND believable. You're a really good writer and it really is frustrating to have someone copy your work when you spent so much time thinking up ideas of your own and this person just ripped you off.. I think it is even more frustrating to have someone tell you something like that, and be such a coward about it by reviewing anonymously. Well, it's good that you gave the person the benefit of the doubt. Anyway, I'm glad you like Lion-O so much-he'll definitely continue to have appearances in the story :)**

**Some Reviewer: My awesome reviewer! That would definitely be a plot twist! I actually don't have that many plans to bring back Shiro, Kuroh and Neko into the story because I don't really see the need to, but if my readers want to see them again, maybe I would, either toward the end of this story or in the sequel. I hope you didn't mind the drunk Reisi and Izumo interaction instead of a lot of Mikoto and Reisi interaction :) PS: The beginning of chap 23 I think might answer some of your questions about Shiro's dead sister complex. I didn't really go into a lot of detail with it. **

**Misha Holic: I'm glad you like this story so much :) I'm not certain about her eye color because from what I've noticed, they seem to be a very dark grey, almost black color but at times they are red. I assume that because the only color she can really discern is red, whenever she sees anything red (like Mikoto), her eyes reflect red as well. I'm feeling a lot better, I've recovered completely from it. Thanks so much for your concern and I hope you are doing okay :)**

**IzzatiNoKitsune: I'm your fav writer?! Aw, that makes me feel so great! I'm so happy that you loved the last chapter, and I'm so sorry that you had to wait so long for this one. I hope you enjoyed it still. Thanks so much for your review :)**

**D: Well, this chapter probably answered your question about Seri's 'romance' with Ryosuke. He's Yuki Natsume's son and the principal of the High School :) Well, I think I'm well enough to eat ice-cream again. I ate it today;) YAY!**

**Bre Renee: For Chapter 38-I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter :) Under normal circumstances, Anna would have been extremely embarrassed, but I think that she was in too much pain to care. It seems like Seri may not be ready to leave just yet and I'm glad you liked that part with Lion-O :) For Chapter 39-Well, when I had first uploaded the chapter, I had been on a rant although I had still asked for readers to support him and help him with his writing. Then I thought I was too harsh so I removed the ranting and left up the part asking readers to support him. Thanks for thinking so well of me though, I appreciate that :) Hm, maybe Mikoto really does want Lion-O for himself! He's still using him against Anna ;) Lol, not perverted meaning...yet ;) Well, you'll learn a little more on Kei and Akemi in the next chapter in terms of Akemi's boyfriend, but I'm not sure when you'll know for certain about Kei's feelings for Anna. Thanks for reviewing, Bre Renee!**

**Guest: Lol, it seems that there isn't because she didn't date him for a romantic reason! **

**pok3s16: I hope you liked this chapter for the Anna and Mikoto scenes as well as the drunk Reisi and Izumo moments :)**

**danihasacookie: Thank you so much for your wonderful review and I'm so glad to know you enjoy this story so much. I appreciate your wonderful words. I hope you enjoy this chapter, future chapters and any other stories I write. God bless :)**

**ladeste: I hope things are better for you now! Chef really doesn't seem like he can ever satisfy Mikoto *smh* I've come up with an ending for those three that I hope everyone will enjoy. You won't see it for another couple of chapters :)**

**Guest: Aww...I didn't really write it in, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter still :)**

**myakita: Whenever you see this, thanks for your reviews :)**

**Diilark: Thank you for reminding me of his death, something I try to be ignorant of as it crushes my hopes that there's some glimmer of light that he may still be alive :'( Lol. Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**

**smileandsleep: Hi, thanks for your review, and hope you continue to enjoy the story :)**

_**Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews. You all always inspire me and keep me motivated to keep on writing. Thanks again and I love you all.**_

_**Let me know your thoughts on this chapter, especially drunk Izumo and Reisi. **_

_**God bless :)**_


	41. Nightmares

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_Genre: Drama/Humor_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by Chickypeg

**Chapter 41: Nightmares**

Kei peeked around from behind a tree and watch one of his precious female friends laugh beautifully with the handsome guy who stood before her. She was currently having a good time with of all people, Hajime Fumio. Hajime was an intelligent, kind young man. He was often quite serious but very considerate.

From what Kei knew about him, he quite studious, came from a wealthy family like most Seneca students and was quite the gentleman.

Even Kei could grudgingly admit that Hajime was a good match for Akemi. Akemi was a very nice girl, and she was a fighter in that she would take no bullshit from anyone without a fight. She could seem like a true vixen, but in truth she was a helpful, sweet girl.

Although she only showed sweetness to Anna; most of the time she was a tsundere.

At least that was what she was behavior-wise toward Kei anyway.

Not that he blamed her for he was quite merciless when he teased her.

However, it irked him when he saw her so willfully give Hajime her laughter and smiles while, he, Kei Junichi, one of her dearest friends, received only scowls from her. He knew he deserved them but even when he was nice and tried to make Akemi laugh, she would look at him like he was an idiot and ignore him.

Yet here she was smiling with this _boring_ brat!

Kei paused. He was behaving rather jealously.

Why was that?

He thought it over and came to the conclusion that it was simply because he cared a lot for Akemi like a sibling and like any big brother, he would be a bit hurt if she smiled like that with some stranger, and not with him, the brother who was at her side most of the time.

Yes, that's it! Kei affirmed to himself although secretly, he was not completely convinced.

Akemi waved off Hajime. He had to go to the library to do some studying. He smiled at her before leaving and she returned it so easily.

"So, that's the famous boyfriend huh? He doesn't look like much," Kei commented behind her.

Akemi froze and immediately lost her smile. She glanced around to look at Kei.

She made a soft, "Hn, jealous,"

Kei glared at her. "I am not jealous of that guy!"

"You're jealous of me!" she retorted.

Kei's mouth dropped open in shock. "Jealous? Of _you_?" he scoffed.

"Yes!" she snapped in reply and walked up to him in a huff. Glowering up at his handsome face, she declared, "you're jealous that the guy I want as my significant other is better than anyone _you_ have _ever_ picked up with! I beat you this time Kei, and you can't stand it!"

Kei frowned. Then he became thoughtful. He wasn't sure if there was any truth at all in that, but even if there was, he wouldn't admit it to her because then that would mean that she had bested him in terms of relationships because the guy she chose to be with was a lot better than of the girls he had ever dated in the past.

"That's not true," he denied. "a boring guy like that is nothing compared to those eccentric beauties I've had in the past."

Akemi rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Kei. I'm happy as I am now so stop spying on me and scoot along and find something else to do,"

"I'm not going to. Is this guy really making you happy?" Kei demanded.

Akemi shrugged. "I don't know. We're testing the waters, Kei. You can't tell me that's wrong,"

Kei looked thoughtful. "No," he admitted. It did make sense to not jump into a relationship right away, but to take things slowly. "nothing is wrong with that."

"So do I have your permission to date, daddy?" she teased.

He scowled. "No! You're going to go to school, hang out with girls and be home by 4 unless in the case of club activities!" he snapped.

Akemi was taken aback because Kei was quite serious. "What? What the hell are you saying! You can't tell me what to do!"

"I can!" he replied and folded his arms stubbornly.

Akemi gave him a long hard look. "I understand what this is," she suddenly whispered.

He looked at her. She continued with an expression that indicated that she was thinking things through quite carefully. "You need someone to manipulate and be sadistic with. You can't get away with it with Anna because she's Anna, and because her brother will kill you and none of the other girls have a friendship with you like I do so you can't show them your freakish ways," Akemi's expression became animatedly disturbed. "so all that's left is me. And my getting a boyfriend means that there's someone who can kick your ass for getting all sadistic with me!"

Kei's mouth dropped open. "How did you come to that conclusion?!"

Akemi stepped back, looking frightened because she thought that he might be looking for opportunities to pull that scary behavior of his on her. "I'm right, aren't I?! Stay away from me!"

With that, she ran off, leaving behind a very confused Kei. He frowned as he realized that she had been running away from him a lot lately.

No, no, he decided; this was not good at all.

The next time he saw Akemi, he was going to be all nice to her.

_And scare the daylights out of her for running from him._

Kei's smirk became evil as he planned all sorts of devious things for the girl in question. Oh, the joy of pulling her hair with a smile, stealing her shojo, pinching her, poking her...and watching those blue eyes of hers come to life and spark with fire.

He wouldn't admit it, but that was why he bothered her so much-just to watch how she came so alive when her temper burst forth.

Maybe, in truth, he was really more a masochist than a sadist.

* * *

Fushimi frowned at the sleeping girl. He recalled how much those wild, rough men had doted upon this one female when she had been a small child.

_Tatara cuddled the cute child closer to him. It was winter time and soon the adorable little one would be turning eight. It was her first winter with them and everyone wanted to ensure that she was in a safe, warm, family-like atmosphere for it was her first year without her aunt as well._

_Tatara had dressed her up warmly in a thick red coat and mittens, together with a red hat and scarf to go out and get some hot chocolate._

_When they re-entered the bar, Izumo was picking up something from the table. On the couch behind the table, sat the King in all his glory._

_In other words, he was sleeping like the dead._

_Just like the little girl in Tatara's arms: along the way home, her footsteps had grown more sluggish and Tatara, ever the observant one, had noticed so he had wordlessly lifted her into his arms, smiled at the wide eyes looking at him, and then settled her against him where she fell asleep, knowing she could trust the person whose arms she was so comfortable in._

_From a place at the bar, Saruhiko Fushimi looked on at the current scene as Izumo approached the young man and the child._

"_Poor Anna probably got sleepy from the hot chocolate," Izumo remarked and reached out to take Anna from Tatara._

_However, Tatara pulled away, surprising Izumo. Abruptly, he smiled so brilliantly at his older friend that Izumo could swear that he could see flowers blooming around his head. "She's already warm and safe in my arms. I'll take care of her, Izumo," Anna therefore remained snuggled warmly in Tatara's arms with the her cheek pressed against his chest and her snowy white hair tucked under his chin as Tatara took a step back._

_Fushimi, still watching them, tsked as he noted that Anna had stirred a little. _

_With a strained smile, Izumo stated, "Don't be stingy with her, Tatara. You already hog her enough as it is,"_

"_It's not my fault that you're a workaholic who forgoes time with this precious girl because he's obsessed with his bar," Tatara retorted._

_Izumo looked completely offended by his words. "Don't say it like I wouldn't make her my priority!" he snapped._

_Tatara grinned. "So you admit it then?"_

"_Admit what?!"_

"_That you're a workaholic,"_

_Izumo gave Tatara a long, hard look. "Tatara,"_

"_Yes, Izumo?"_

"_Give. Me. Anna," he ordered and reached out for her. _

_Tatara pulled away again and the two began to squabble over her._

_They only stopped when Saruhiko, unable to help himself, got to his feet and unexpectedly snatched Anna away from Tatara._

_The two men blinked at him in shock._

_Saruhiko tsked again as he set the child down on her feet. "You jerks woke her up," He told himself that he had only done this because their arguing had been getting on their nerves. It had nothing to do with him feeling a bit sorry for the tired child, and annoyed with her caretakers for being so inconsiderate. Nothing at all, he assured himself. _

_Izumo and Tatara turned their attention to the little child who was watching them owlishly, blinking up at them._

_Izumo reached out his arms and crooned at her,"Aw, we're so sorry, Anna. Come with me-" His words were cut off when he got whacked on his head. Then Tatara._

_It was Mikoto, standing behind them. Apparently their noises had awakened him and he didn't seem to like the idea that they had awakened poor Anna too. _

_Abruptly, she turned her gray eyes to Mikoto and walked over to him. She leaned against his leg and hugged it to her, burying her face against his thigh. Mikoto sighed wearily and lay a kind hand on her head._

_"Idiots," he admonished his clansmen._

_Then he reached out and caught her by the back of her dress, making her give a soft gasp._

_Instinctively, he knew that because she had just awakened, holding her like that might make her feel a little woozy. So he settled her against him with one arm under her and the other around her shoulders._

_She immediately hooked her own little arms around him and hugged him close, basking in his warmth and safety. Mikoto took off her hat, tossed it to Izumo who caught it easily, then carried Anna upstairs. He was tired and lazy himself to take Anna to her room so he took her to his where he placed her on his bed, covered her with his blanket, then lay down beside her and faced the other way. _

_Izumo and Tatara had watched on, disappointed, while Fushimi tsked again._

_He was in a clan of rough, rowdy men who got stupid over one little girl. "Nothing but morons here," he muttered to himself._

_Although Fushimi secretly found that she was quite adorable-she was like the innocent little bunny among a bunch of wild beasts._

* * *

Anna whimpered in her sleep, alerting Fushimi. He remained kneeling at her side as he watched over her carefully until her eyes opened slowly.

"Mikoto..." she whispered.

"He'll be here soon," Fushimi tried to reassure her, but she got up and hugged Fushimi, frightening him as she leaned into him until she slumped against him with her head was resting on his lap.

"I want Mikoto," she whimpered miserably, making Fushimi feel a deep sense of pity for her. He knew she used to have nightmares, and it seemed as though she still did.

_Izumo was sitting beside her on the couch. She was leaning on the armrest with her head on her arms and she looked quite unhappy. It was one of the few times that Saruhiko actually saw her expression change although it wasn't a big sort of change. Her eyes just had lines under them and her mouth was pulled in a taut, straight line. _

_Izumo placed a gentle hand on her back. "Mikoto will be home soon, Anna," he assured her gently. Mikoto, Yata and Totsuka had gone out to investigate something. Saruhiko had come in to hang out with Yata, only to find out, much to his annoyance, that his dear friend had followed after his two comrades like a puppy. _

_He quietly tsked when he observed the child. Kamamoto had approached her and offered to get her a strawberry crepe, but she refused it._

_Suddenly, the door opened and as soon as it did, Anna lifted her head. Mikoto entered, followed by Tatara and Yata. _

_Yata didn't even notice that his friend had been there, waiting for him in the bar for his eyes were focused on the man he hero-worshipped: Mikoto Suoh._

_Mikoto caught sight of Anna and Izumo on the couch. He frowned slightly and moved to the couch. Izumo got up and Mikoto took his place._

_Anna immediately sat up and leaned against Mikoto. _

_It surprised Fushimi that Mikoto, a man who rarely smiled or showed a lot of emotion, gave the little girl an almost pitiful look. He lifted his hand and gently placed it on their princess's head and immediately, her misery eased and she sighed in relief, leaning more heavily against her King's strong torso. _

"_Mikoto-san is so awesome," Yata whispered in awe. It seemed he was fascinated that his great and terrifying King could still care to a cute little girl. _

"_Is that so?" Fushimi asked beside him._

_Yata jumped slightly. "Saru?! When did you get here?"_

_Fushimi shrugged. "Does it matter?"_

_Yata snorted as he returned his attention to his King who comforted the child beside him by simply sitting next to her. _

"_Doesn't it bother you that she might be his favorite, and not you?" Fushimi questioned._

_Yata shot him a glare. "Who cares about that? Homra is about the bonds we form-not favoritism!"_

_Fushimi snorted in disgust as he watched his friend go over to the two on the couch. Bonds? What bonds? Fushimi asked himself. _

_Yata was a bloody hypocrite. He formed new bonds at the cost of his old one-the one he had with Fushimi who had been his best friend._

* * *

Saruhiko didn't have the heart to push off the little girl and therefore he gently placed his hands on her back.

"Did Anna have a bad dream?" Fushimi asked. He tried to sound soothing, but his voice came out a bit rough. Anna didn't seem to mind, for she nodded.

This surprised Fushimi for he half expected her to claim that she had not. However, if he recalled properly, Tatara had been the one to urge her to admit when she had a nightmare. He recalled another incident, the first time he had ever witnessed Anna when she had had a nightmare.

_Izumo and Tatara had been giving the quiet girl wary looks. She had only just recently joined the clan and although they had sought to make the atmosphere as comforting and welcoming for her, it seemed that she was nowhere near the habit of letting anyone know when she needed something. Most of the time, Tatara had to guess when she was hungry or thirsty and therefore he paid very close attention to her._

_It seemed that he was the only person who actually took the time to do that because no one else really had the time to really sit down and observe Anna's habits. Not only that, with his uncanny ability to understand people, he was able to figure Anna's heart out and he had come to the conclusion that Anna was too accustomed to not showing her emotions and she was too shy to do so now. She had spent too many years from a young age training herself to be a doll-to not show or voice her feelings._

_It was therefore more than likely that she would not ever really show or voice her feelings until she got more used to the clan, and even so it was to be expected that she would still retain some of her mannequin-like qualities. _

_Anna had come downstairs a few minutes ago. She was completely silent and was shaking a little. "She's had a nightmare but she keeps saying she hasn't," Izumo stated quietly. Tatara nodded in agreement. _

"_Why won't she admit it?" Fushimi questioned._

_Tatara looked thoughtful. "She probably thinks that she's burdening us," _

_Fushimi looked a bit confused so Tatara elaborated with his usual smile but with a hint of sympathy, "She probably thinks that we already did so much for her and to cast her internal problems onto us would only trouble us,"_

_Izumo tsked in annoyance. "She's our family now. She needs to remember that,"_

_Tatara nodded and moved from his place at the bar. He walked over to Anna who didn't even look up when he stooped in front of her until he was eye level. He smiled at her warmly. _

"_Anna, are you alright?"_

_She blinked at him and it seemed that she was unable to respond. _

_Tatara hugged her to him. Anna had become used to this person already-the one who was so free with hugs and laughter. His red was smaller compared to the others, but he was warm and comforting, and when he hugged her, she leaned into him, grateful for the comfort. _

"_You're our family, Anna. If you need us, we're always here. Okay?" _

_Anna seemed to hesitate before she nodded slowly, indicating that she understood. _

_Tatara released her and moved to sit beside her. He placed an arm around her shoulders and drew her close to him again. _

"_Who is the person you want the most right now?" he asked her kindly. _

_Anna opened her mouth slightly, but then shut it again. It seemed that she was too shy to say it. _

"_Is it King?" Tatara questioned. _

_With slightly red cheeks, she nodded._

_The young man smiled again. "He'll be home soon, and when he comes, don't hesitate to ask him for anything,"_

_Anna nodded again. _

_As if on cue, the door to the bar opened and Mikoto's strong presence appeared. In Anna's eyes, she saw that strong powerful red that drew her in, surrounded her and engulfed her in warmth. _

_Mikoto sank down into the couch beside her and let out a sigh. He paused and glanced at the pair beside him. _

_He blinked down at Anna and immediately he knew what had happened because he himself had witnessed how she was when she had a nightmare-whiter than paper and full of shivers. She was not shivering like how she was the first time he had ever consoled her, but she was paper white and it worried him. _

"_You had a bad dream," he stated. _

_Anna glanced at Tatara and he nodded, silently urging her._

_She nodded. Mikoto lifted his hand and gently placed it on her head in an act of comfort. _

"_What was it about?" he questioned. _

_Anna couldn't seem to find the words. Mikoto sighed, realizing that she may not want to speak. Figuring that he should have a drink and leave her to Tatara, he moved to get up._

_However, a small hand caught hold of his sleeve, making him stop._

_He glanced down at the child._

_She slowly lifted her eyes to his and he saw how wide and frightened they looked. "Cage," she whispered. _

_Mikoto leaned against the couch again, waiting for his often silent companion to speak again. _

"_I was in a cage. I couldn't get out," she confessed. Her grip on his jacket tightened as she continued, her eyes seeming to grow larger and Mikoto could almost see the terror in them. "It went under water. And I was choking...suffocating."_

_Mikoto fought hard to not show how her words upset him-not because he was vexed with her in anyway, but because of the injustice she had faced for many years that forced these nightmares on her, even though she was protected now at Homra. _

_Mikoto placed a gentle hand on her back. "You're safe here now, aren't you?" he pointed out in a gruff voice._

_Anna nodded._

_He managed to give her a very tiny smile. It was the first time he had ever shown one to her, and it was the first time in months Izumo and Tatara had seen him smile. _

_To their shock, this caused the fear to fade from Anna's expression and she stopped shaking. Even more astonishing was the very, very small smile she returned as well. It seemed a little sad but they realized that it was actually gratitude she was showing._

_Mikoto lost his smile at the sight of hers for he was surprised as well. Then, he snorted and patted her head kindly. Their attention was drawn away from each other when Kamamoto entered with a bag of take-out for everyone._

_Fushimi had observed the two-the ferocious red king, and the little girl who was now their princess. What a weird combination, he thought. _

_All around them, the place grew livelier and drinks were being poured, food was being shared. Fushimi continued to watch the king and the princess. The king was listening idly to something Kamamoto was relating to him while Tatara handed Anna a plate with what looked like fries on it. Fushimi tsked at their disregard of giving the child healthy food to eat, but he was surprised to see the King casually take fries from his princess's plate and she unseemingly bothering-as if eating each other's food was the most normal thing in the world._

_What an odd combination, he affirmed to himself. _

It hadn't taken long for Fushimi to decide that it wasn't really they who had been odd, but _Fushimi_ himself. The only real bond he had considered in Homra had been Yata's, not really anyone else's (or so Fushimi liked to tell himself). Now here he was trying to care for the little girl he once thought he would never dote upon like the other members of the Red Clan. Fushimi hesitated before he spoke again to Anna. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The girl shook her head and only buried her face against his stomach while her arms went around his strong back. She was trembling slightly.

Fushimi rubbed her back in an act of comfort but he felt so awkward doing it. He had never comforted a young girl before and Anna was so much unlike other girls that that was what made it even more difficult for him to console her.

He caught sight of something peeking out from the edge of futon. It looked like a stuffed toy. Fushimi reached down and picked it up. It was a lion and had a red mane. Fushimi frowned slightly. It reminded him of the Red King.

He glanced down at the frightened little girl whose thick beautiful white hair spilled all around her and so long it was, it even fell on the floor to the sides of his lap.

He quickly deduced that yes, this plushie was hers and that she probably treasured it because it looked like her beloved king with its red mane-in an unexpectedly cute way.

So, holding the soft toy by its back, he gently pressed it's face against Anna's cheek. She turned her head slightly to see what was touching her and the tension on her face eased at the sight of her toy. She took it, watched it for a moment and then hugged it to her.

* * *

Fushimi felt himself begin sweat.

Seconds ticked by, then minutes.

An hour could have passed for all he knew.

But all he really wanted to know, was_ just how much longer he had to remain like this?!_

His muscles were cramped, he a desperate urge to usher Anna from him and stand up and leave!

But he couldn't. There was this part of him that willingly obeyed the Red King. Perhaps it was because despite him now being a part of the Blue Clan, he had never lost his powers given to him by Mikoto and therefore that power he still had was what forced him to do as he was told by the Red King.

At least that was what Fushimi was telling himself.

However, the truth was that he genuinely felt sorry for the little girl and he cared for her a lot. There was still a bond between them, those 'family-like' bonds that Homra created and Yata treasured so much. Anna's part in the clan had extended to more than just being their little psychic; her quietness and smallness, her very innocence despite her past brought out this 'older brother' effect on the members of the clan where they just wanted to protect her. She was their excuse to play childish games like having tea parties and she was their reasoning to behave a little silly and get away with it from time to time.

After all, Homra was full of rough, uncouth men but they still had a lot of pride and normally would feel like idiots for indulging in child-like activities like watching a nonsensical cartoon. She was the child who appealed to the childish part of them.

And she was very important to her members.

And she was important to Fushimi too. For even he had used her as an excuse to look at some ridiculous cartoons like Pucca or even Spongebob. Maybe he wouldn't go as far as to call her a little sister, but he did care for her.

Quite a lot.

Fushimi's desire to move was finally granted when Mikoto entered the room. He paused when he saw the pair.

Anna sensed him and immediately lifted herself up, still hugging Lion-O. She had a miserable expression on her face as she lifted her arms out to Mikoto. He hadn't seen her look like this in a long time for he hadn't come across her as having a really bad nightmare in a long time.

So, he lifted her into his arms. He did have the urge to hold her under his arm like a keg of beer, but he wasn't that hard headed and ignorant to not realize that Anna needed to be held warmly for him to soothe away her nightmare.

So, he held one arm under her legs while the other went across her back. Anna hugged him tightly around the neck, surprising him. She was shaking.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

She nodded.

"What was it about?"

She shook her head.

Mikoto glanced at Fushimi who had stood up as well and was stretching his cramped legs. When he caught sight of Mikoto's look, he shrugged-basically saying that he didn't know what she had dreamt either.

Mikoto figured that when they settled down alone somewhere, she would speak. The closest place for them to go to would be the Finder's clubroom.

"Mikoto-san," Fushimi's voice stopped him.

Mikoto looked at him.

"I just want to know something," Fushimi looked a bit uncomfortable under the shorter person's scrutiny and he fought hard to not fidget. "It's been on my mind for a while now."

Mikoto waited for him to ask him.

"How did Anna get stuck between those vending machines two years ago?"

Anna lifted her head from Mikoto's shoulder, and without hesitation, she stated, "I was not stuck,"

Then she replaced her head and hugged Mikoto tighter.

The king shrugged at his former clansman who was staring at Anna, baffled.

"Thanks," Mikoto said to him and walked away with Anna.

"Odd pair of brats," Fushimi muttered, although deep down in his heart, a part of him wanted to follow after Mikoto and Anna...there was a special warmth between them, and there always had been. Fushimi's obsession and disgust with Yata when he had still been a part of the Red Clan had made him ignorant of the bond the King and the princess had. Yet, here he was now, completely reluctant to admit that there was something so beautiful and intriguing about those two.

* * *

Once they entered the clubroom, Mikoto shut the door behind them and went straight to the couch. Kei and Akemi had a drama club meeting and would head straight to their dorm rooms after that because it was already a bit late into the evening.

Mikoto sat down on the couch and placed Anna on his lap. She wasn't shaking anymore, and she was warmer now.

Mikoto hadn't been upset about Anna clinging to Fushimi for comfort. This was mainly because that was the only person available at the time to be there for her so he was not angry, nor jealous. In fact, he actually trusted the man who betrayed them.

That was because he knew that the one defining characteristic of Fushimi Saruhiko was his unlimited sense of responsibility. He was responsible although he tended to responsible based on his own timing. He didn't really like being pressured in any way and that was why the Blue King didn't mind leaving him to work on certain assignments on his own-because Saruhiko Fushimi worked better when left to his own devices. Despite this, if Fushimi was pressured to do a job, he would still do it-because of sense of responsibilty. Maybe he wouldn't function better when being nagged, but he would still do what he was told to do.

Mikoto had known this a long time ago and he knew it was something the young man would never change in himself.

"What were you dreaming?" Mikoto asked Anna softly as she settled her head under his chin.

"I was in the dark," she responded. "and there was no light. No sound. It was cold, and empty. I was ...afraid."

Mikoto's arms around her tightened and he rest his chin on top of her head. Anna did have dreams like this in the past. She used to confide in Tatara about them. He had thought that she had stopped having dreams like that a long time ago, so it made him wonder if it was that she still had them frequently, but never spoke of them.

"When was the last time you dreamt this?"

"Sometimes it happens still," she whispered and fisted her hands into his shirt.

Mikoto could feel her warm breath on his neck and the light feathering of her silky hair. He liked having her in his arms like this for she was like a favorite teddy bear. Soft, and huggable.

He would never admit that though.

Mikoto let out a soft breath, lightly lifting some of her hair and hugged her tighter. He supposed that some nightmares just never went away, and he only hoped that those nightmares would remain what they were-dreams.

"What happened with Iwao?" Anna asked quietly.

Mikoto sighed wearily. He kissed Anna's cheek before he decided to explain.

* * *

"_Didn't you think it strange that I would be allowed to come to this school of all places, where only the most elite go, and where, if I did have something to hide, could easily be found out by you-Yuki Natsume-the strain who has the ability to heal and determine what goes on inside our bodies?" Iwao questioned still smiling._

_No one else in the room returned his smile. No one was affected by his sarcasm either. He sighed. Natsume, however, answered, "I'm not a fool, Iwao Orochi. I know that the Gold King sent you here so that we could keep an eye on you. How do you know **what** I am?" she demanded._

_After all, no one, not even regular strains, really knew about Natsume; Natsume was a part of the Red Clan and was affiliated with the Gold King-**not** his clan, and only for the sake of researching strains. The clan she was actually associated with that was not her own was the Blue Clan because strains were their responsibility. _

"_If you go around in certain circles, you learn certain things. Unfortunately for me, my circles included wrongful imprisonment by the Blue Clan in an asylum made especially for strains. Some of these strains you yourself dealt with. I don't know if you remember a guy named Hina Ichirou?"_

_Natsume frowned. "He had an obsession with me a long time ago. He was locked up with the clinically insane,"_

"_He said he fell in love with your boobs and that they looked like big soft pillows that-" Iwao was cut off by Natsume grabbing him by the face in a tight grip, covering his mouth with her nails almost digging into the sides of his face. _

_She was pissed off. _

"_Look here, punk. Don't overstep your bounds anymore because if you continue speaking like that, I can fire your ass for disrespect and even the Sanctuary Treaty won't be able to protect you from getting yourself thrown into the streets by me personally. Got it?"_

_Iwao began to sweat. He nodded._

"_Good," Natsume said and slowly released him._

_He cleared his throat. The others hadn't moved to stop her in anyway. The only ones who might have stepped in would have been Reisi and Seri but they were quite content at the moment to remain as they were, listening to what Iwao had to say. _

"_Yes, Hina had an obsession with you and was thrown into the asylum because he had a mental disorder for his stalking of you. It was seven counts, right?" Iwao asked her, quite politely._

_Natsume nodded. _

"_I was sent there too because my so-called voyeuristic tendencies and the three counts of attempted assault to my name required that I do a mental evaluation. Because of those men who were trying to capture Strains kept everyone busy, I ended up staying there longer than intended and Hina happened to sit next to me during lunch and he told me all about you, how your family owns and runs one of the most elite schools in the world, that you're beautiful and that you're associated with all these clans and you belong to the Red one,"_

_Natsume sighed wearily. "It's no surprise that that sick bastard found out things about me somehow. I assume he picked up on tidbits here and there?"_

_Iwao nodded. "He bothered some of the guys from the Blue Clan and since you work with them-"_

"_Hina nagged them to death to find out about me," Natusme finished. _

"_Right. So when I came out of there, did my evaluation and was sent free with the opportunity to get back on my feet, I was surprised to find that an offer was given to me to become a teacher at Seneca. I did not make here my goal, Natsume-san. The Gold King was the one who landed me that position,"_

_Natsume nodded. "We suspected that much. Didn't we?" she glanced over at Mikoto and Izumo who both nodded in assertion. _

_Seri and Reisi did not question why they were not informed-they already knew that they had not been kept in the dark about that little fact out of deliberation, but simply because Natsume-san considered that to be something that mattered to her clan members alone. _

"_I'm not a fool. It's obvious he wanted for someone to keep an eye on me and at the word 'Seneca', I knew that it had to do with you and the Red Clan watching out for me,"_

_Reisi spoke then. "You weren't given a bad deal, Orochi-san. Although you would have us watching you, your actions-if they proved to be innocent would have been your ticket to a new course in your life. Seneca's teachers don't last very long here, but if you had shown on your resume and given proof that you had worked here, you could have probably worked in any school in the world,"_

_Iwao nodded. "Exactly,"_

"_So how did you figure out who we were?" Izumo asked. _

"_At first I hadn't realized that the Blue King and his Vice Captain was here. I had had no idea that I was of so much importance," his eyes went to Natsume and he smiled. "but it's the school that's important, isn't it? It contributes highly to Japan's economy and reputation."_

_Natsume said nothing and Iwao continued, "The Gold King took a risk sending me here, but it seemed he must have done so with every confidence in you all. I already suspected Suoh-kun although I expected him to be older. It was always weird how he would end up in detention so much. Seneca didn't strike me as a school that would allow a student to go to detention so much. I always got the impression that you guys would resort to harsher punishments such as suspension and expulsion for a student who was so indisciplined to have ended up in detention so often,"_

_Natsume shrugged. "We could have been bribed by his parents to not expel him,"_

"_But Seneca is famous for not accepting bribes," Iwao pointed out. _

_Natsume smirked. "Did your research, did you?"_

"_I needed to know about the place I was coming to teach in. The internet gives a good description of your wonderful reputation,"_

_Natsume remained silent. She wanted him to continue explaining. Iwao sighed. "I didn't suspect that Suoh-kun was the Red King either, at least not right away, but I was suspicious of him already. He would be the perfect bait, wouldn't he?" Iwao asked, smiling brightly._

_No one answered, but it was true; Iwao's supposed victims included a young, teenage boy. Mikoto was an attractive boy of appropriate age and spent a lot of time with Iwao in detention. _

"_And you did sic him on me in detention," Iwao added. _

"_Just tell me how you realized who he was," Natsume ordered impatiently. _

"_I didn't pick up on who he was, even after hearing his name. It was only when I happened to be passing by one day that I saw him with Kusanagi-sensei,"_

_Izumo's posture straightened and Iwao beamed at him. "He had a lighter in his hand to light a cigarette, and there was a particular symbol on it. In the asylum I had been warned against anyone who may have that sign on their skin. It's the symbol of the Red Clan and Red Clan was known among several strains in there who had gone a bit mad with drug use. It seems that the Red Clan's symbol still gives them nightmares,"_

_No one mentioned that most of the guards and several teachers were members of the Red Clan. That was something that only three of the people in the room were supposed to know, and those three were Izumo, Mikoto and Natsume. _

"_Kusanagi-sensei stood out for me because his name was familiar and somehow seeing that symbol reminded me of his name. So when I hurried home, I made a call through to Hina,"_

"_You seem to be pretty good friends with him," Seri commented. _

"_He's not my good friend, but he is an acquaintance who I could easily source information from once I called at the right hours. After all, it's only fair that I know who's spying on me,"_

"_A guy who wants to clear his name wouldn't care about that," Mikoto pointed out. Iwao looked at him in confusion. "because then you would have nothing to hide."_

_Iwao smiled in response. "True, but you wouldn't like being spied on, would you?"_

_Mikoto didn't reply and Iwao continued. "Hina told me that Kusanagi Izumo was a well known name in the underground world and that if anyone wanted to join the Red Clan, they had to contact him. He then warned me off against anyone by the name of 'Suoh Mikoto'. That was you, Suoh-kun,"_

_Mikoto still didn't say anything. _

"_And why do you suspect anyone of being in the Blue Clan?"_

"_I only thought that they might be members of the Blue Clan today," Iwao replied. He grinned. "It was only after I saw Munakata-sensei with a sword at his side around his belt that I was taken back to the time I spent in the asylum. He walked about in a manner very much like those men of the Blue Clan who were given guard duties in the asylum. Awashima-sensei also fit the description of a particularly scary officer who is well-known for her strict, masculine qualities. You are quite famous among the strains and the officers of the Blue Clan, Awashima-sensei,"_

_"Wipe that smirk off your face, Kusanagi," Seri hissed. It seemed that he was amused by Seri being called 'masculine.'_

_However, it seemed that Iwao actually didn't know what positions exactly Reisi and Seri had in Scepter 4. That was probably because in the asylum Iwao was kept in, not much information was passed along in there about the members of the Blue Clan itself. That was because too much information being spoken aloud by the security in there could give out the abilities of certain members and if this information was given out, then this could give the Strains (most of whom were a bit mentally off) an edge if they could figure out how to defeat specific members of the Clan. Knowing who Seri was through talk passed along in the asylum meant that members of the Blue Clan were not obeying specific protocol and Reisi would have to do an evaluation when he got back._

_Speaking about the Red Clan was not a problem in there because it was the Red Clan and had nothing important to do with the Strains in there. Until Hina gave away information about them that blew their cover on the current case. That meant that Reisi had some adjustments to rules for the asylum and deal with those who lacked discipline. _

_Mikoto snorted. "You think things through really carefully, don't you?"_

_Iwao shrugged. "I need to. I need to be on my guard before I am wrongfully accused again," he added after giving Natsume a pointed look, "the court couldn't convict me,"_

"_That doesn't mean I believe you," Natsume stated and leaned back in her chair with folded arms._

_Iwao sighed and leaned back against his chair as well, matching her pose. "My information would have let you know that I was a lab assistant in my previous school,"_

_Natsume nodded. _

"_I was good at my job and if you would also know that I was working part time with a researcher for a particular college,"_

"_Yes, I remember," Natsume answered. _

"_That researcher was the one who got me the job in the High School when he learned that I needed some extra cash. His daughter attended there, as did several other members of his family so he had the right connections to pull some strings to get me in. Takayagi-sensei was a great guy at that time, but his arrogance when it came to research and topping everyone knew no bounds,"_

_Everyone listened attentively to Iwao's story as he continued, "When I assisted him, I ended up developing my own research on the side which contradicted his, and disproved all of his theories. He became resentful of me. Do you know how a narcissist operates, Natsume-san?" _

"_Huge ego, low esteem, puts on a show to impress others and hide who they really are," Natsume answered._

_Iwao nodded. "That's how he was-he pretended to be nice to everyone, including me,"_

"_Did Takayagi know that you were a strain?"_

"_No, he didn't," Iwao answered. "he was a mere civilian and you know how hard the knowledge of strains is hidden from the public. Only a small percentage of the general public who are unaffiliated with clans actually know, and even so, they don't really understand everything."_

_Natsume nodded. "Continue," she instructed._

"_Once someone threatens the ego of a narcissist, he will do all he can to get rid off them, while at the same time retaining his figure as Mr. Nice Guy. He therefore couldn't fire me without proper grounds, otherwise it would look just plain mean and reflect badly on him. In fact, he wanted to ruin me. Completely,"_

"_So you're saying all of this was just a set-up?" Izumo asked. Iwao looked at him and nodded solemnly. _

"_Yes. He wanted me to disappear completely because my disappearance would mean that he could remain at the top-the top researcher. He could not handle someone two decades younger being more brilliant than he was. What made it worst was that it wasn't just him who got on my case for my research-it was the rest of the senior board of researchers. They were all bunch of fat old men wearing on suit and ties who loved the prestige granted to them in society that allowed them to look down on everyone," Iwao almost spat. "they hated me because I saw right through them and I never abided by their rules. I didn't disobey them in a large way, but they knew I was unlike them and that I was not fooled by them. When they learned that my work was better than even Takayagi-sensei's, they decided that I was a threat to them. I was a threat because my way of thinking was different from theirs and I could end up on the Board just like them, and change their rules."_

"_You're suggesting it was a conspiracy," Reisi said._

"_Yes. It sounds far fetched, but it's the truth," Iwao told them._

"_I won't discount what you're saying as being very real. It is known that researchers envy those who offer better research and it is a well known fact that researchers steal from each other and publish each other's work as their own. I've faced situations like this myself before," Natsume admitted. _

"_Yes. So you must understand that they set me up. One of the members of the Board knew about Strains because he worked closely with the right people so he knew the right people to get the right information once he investigated enough about me. My laptop had been stolen just a week before this incident and when the police managed to get a warrant for my arrest, it conveniently appeared in my apartment again. The pictures were uploaded into my computer, giving damnable evidence that I was a voyeur,"_

"_You didn't fight that charge," Natsume pointed out._

"_What was the point? I was already damned with three counts of attempted rape-on two females and a male. What jury was going to believe that I had been set up by the prestigious Board of Researchers?"_

_Natsume nodded. What he was saying was true. _

"_Explain the rape charges," Mikoto ordered. _

_Iwao nodded. "If you look into the victims, and I'm quite sure you can get that information, Natsume-san, you will find that each person who claimed I tried to violate them is actually related to at least one person on that Board,"_

* * *

"What happens now?" Anna asked Mikoto in a soft voice.

"Natsume-san is looking into what Iwao said to make sure that what he's saying is true, and we're waiting on Fushimi's report," Mikoto hadn't asked Fushimi about it earlier because he knew his former clansman would have obligations to let his current king see the report first-not that Fushimi was still that obedient to Mikoto that he would give it to him first.

Anna frowned and shifted in his arms so that she could look up at him. He looked down at her and she blinked. "Do you believe him?" she questioned.

Mikoto shrugged. "Innocent until proven guilty, right?"

Anna blinked at him and although her expression did not really change, he knew she was giving him an assessing look.

"What?" he asked. Then sighed.

She knew that really and truly, he was still very suspicious of Iwao. "A man who believes he's so innocent wouldn't be so cautious and observant if he had nothing to hide," Mikoto stated.

Anna nodded.

That made sense.

No matter what excuses Iwao made about it.

Mikoto suddenly moved. His hands caught her waist and he shifted his upper body until he was lying on his back. Anna instinctively took hold of his broad shoulders to keep from falling although his hands held her securely. Then he slid his hands to Anna's upper arms and slid large, warm palms around her back and pulled her down on top of his still strong, hard body.

They adjusted their lower bodies more comfortably until their legs were stretched out on the couch and they stayed like that, cuddling for a while.

* * *

_A few years ago, the frightening, monster of the underworld of Shizume City, opened his eyes when he felt movements behind him on his bed. He turned around and saw the small child who had recently become a precious member of their clan. She was kneeling beside him, with her hands on her lap, looking quite proper. _

_Or as proper as she figured that she could look. _

_Wide eyes and shaking hands did not fool Mikoto. So, lifting his hand large hand, he pressed it on her upper arm and gently pushed her, silently telling her to lie down._

_She did so and unfolded her legs from under her as like a little kitten, she curled up beside him with her head on his pillow. _

_She moved her own hand to his sleeve where she caught hold of it and gently tugged. She wanted him closer to her. _

_Mikoto realized that this might have been a bad nightmare because it was only recently she was managing to break out of her shyness around them and let them know what she wanted, but she still had a hesitant atmosphere around them. _

_This was the first time she let Mikoto know what she wanted so blatantly, even in a silent way. That meant that her nightmare had been terrible._

_Since he was not one to refuse Anna, he pressed his hand against her back and drew her closer to him until her tiny body was curled closer to his larger one. She was the one who pressed herself against him and buried her head against his chest._

_Not really knowing what else to do, Mikoto gently rubbed her back until he could feel her shaking body ease. _

_"Nightmare?"_

_She nodded._

_Her heartbeat was still too fast for his liking and he was uncomfortable with the fact that even his attempt at comfort hadn't slowed it down. _

_Mikoto figured that he should probably get Tatara to handle her so he moved to sit up. However, Anna's hand gripped his sleeve tighter. He glanced at her._

_She looked at him, her eyes still wide, and shook her head. _

_"Don't go," was her whispered plea. "I want you, Mikoto. You're red is the prettiest."_

_Mikoto, unable to refuse her, settled down again. _

_He was afraid he might crush her little body unintentionally as his arms settled around awkwardly, but Anna remained where she was, curled up against him, quite trustingly. _

_"It's safe with you," she added._

* * *

Anna opened her eyes. Her cheek was against Mikoto's chest. He had fallen asleep with her and where she was lying was completely and fully red in her sight. A beautiful, bright red. So large...so warm and she could almost feel it flickering around her, encasing her, soothing her.

Anna lifted her head slowly and looked down at Mikoto's young, handsome face for a long moment. He was her comfort and she loved him very much. She knew he never really acknowledged how much she did, he just accepted that she clung to him and cared him a great deal. Right now, it didn't matter. She was still too young and she was mature enough to understand that, even if Mikoto was currently only fourteen. One day soon he would regain his original form and become twenty six once more, he would revert back to their strong, scary powerful King.

Not that he was really that much different now with his smaller stature.

Anna lowered her head and kissed his cheek, then, unable to help it, his nose.

Her hair feathered lightly on his face, causing him to slowly open his eyes.

The pair of dark eyes looking down at him did not surprise him at all. He was quite used to it.

Anna moved a little more up and pressed her nose into his temple. She didn't nuzzle him the way he would her, but she hugged him around his neck, as if trying to get him as close as possible to her. Mikoto, being as he was, let her do as she wanted.

He didn't mind. She was a comfort to him, as he was to her and in a way, he liked the fact that his body was smaller because he could accommodate more of her against him-he really enjoyed the feel of her in his arms. With their closer ages, it was a different kind of feel. She was softer, or perhaps he just thought so because his arms weren't so long anymore. She fit better with him, and that was what he enjoyed.

And right now, it was a bit good to forget all of these things they had to be worried about with Iwao.

For now, they could just relax, even for a few moments and not care about anything.

After all, days like these of teenage Anna and Mikoto might never come again.

* * *

_**Thank you, all of you who followed, favorited and reviewed the last chapter.**_

_**Also, thank you all of you who said supportive words to me. I appreciate that. Thank you again :)**_

_**For all who reviewed:**_

**Indochine: Thanks so much for those supportive words to me. They were very positive and encouraging. Hope you enjoyed Mass :) And your words about the chapter were really appreciated, thank you so much! Drunkenness really does bring out OOCness in everyone. I have personal experience with alcohol and sometimes, those experiences weren't very nice so that's one of the reasons why I've given warnings about alcohol before. I'm glad you like the parts with Tatara, as well as Anna and Seri. I think Mikoto can be quite violent with his comrades from time to time. Do you read the manga for K? I think you would know what I mean if you read the manga. I'm glad you likes those parts with Fushimi and thanks for saying that I write him well. I probably didn't find the chapter very good because when I stop writing for a while...I kind of feel like my brain is rusty and I had basically been living in another world for the two weeks I had to do that special program so I was wondering if I had lost some of my writing skills. Thanks again for your review, I truly, truly appreciate it and your support to me means a lot to me :)**

**serenskydragon: Your friends are missing out on some gorgeous guys to drool about! ;) **

**xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx: I'm glad you enjoyed it :)**

**Ambivalencia: I'm not surprised that you had misunderstood because I had had quite a bit of ranting up there and because it is written form communication, it is very easy to misinterpret someone's words. I actually removed all that ranting and just left the parts about supporting that person because even I realized that that ranting was unnecessary and I could have unintentionally generated a lot of hatred toward him. That's what happens when you speak out emotionally-things can come across the wrong way so more than likely, you must have read the chapter when I still had the ranting up so it was easy for you to misunderstand me. About International Relations: well, I would advise you to study International Relations (and any subject area) if you have a certain career path you would like to follow. Don't study it because you heard it's 'fun' and it's 'a good thing to get into'. Find information for yourself about it from established professors etc. I chose to study what i did based on hearsay, and here I am unemployed still and even if I get a job, it won't really be related to my field. I don't want you to end up like me, so I'm hoping that you have a good reason for considering studying it with a particular career path in mind. Anyway, to answer your question on whether or not it's good...well, it teaches you about the way this world functions and you come to realize just how powerful a tool this world really is and that sometimes, conspiracy theories might actually be closer to the truth than what the mainstream media tells you. You also may not like what you learn because many times you realize that basically, things like 'morals' don't really exist when it comes to big power politics and that your own country is lacking in terms of goodwill to other countries. International Relations can be a big headache and you always have to keep updated with world events. It is a nice subject area...but sometimes, for me, it can get to be a little too much. If you like keeping up with politics and world events, and you think you could be useful in an international forum, then it's probably suited for you and therefore you might consider it a good field to get into. Hope that helps. By the way, thanks so much for the review :)**

**WitchyCloudPine: You deserve it! You're an awesome writer! Thanks for those words about keeping Mikoto in character. I appreciate it :)**

**xNightDreamerx: I think this chapter answer some of your questions :) I like mushrooms too...especially on pizza!**

**nannerlovessnickers: You're probably busy with your own fic right now! I wanted to let you know that I had never really heard of Maximum Ride, so I wouldn't have known if you had kept everyone in character or not. But really and truly, other than that, your story drew me in and your writing was just beautiful. Why did you wait so long to post up a fic?! Ugh...I saw the new Skip Beat chapter. Like seriously, how long do I need to wait for a Kyoko/Ren kiss? How long?! Lol. May the 200th chapter not disappoint me and I shall wait 28 days to see it. Anyway, thanks for the review and hope you enjoyed this chapter as well :)**

**LindyLinn: Thank you so much! God is very important to me and I always tell my friends that if they want to have a close relationship with Him, Christ is the best way to go. Thanks again for the review, and God bless ;)**

**TheRoseShadow21: Thanks for the review, and hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**

**annashina: I had and still have some personal stuff going on, but it's getting better. Thanks for your concern and I hope that you are doing fine :)**

**Arius the Heretic: I'm glad you liked the fluff! I may not go much into Seri for a little while because I'm focusing on Mikoto and Anna now-it's a story about them and I think that I'm getting a little too much into Seri. I know most readers like it, especially Seri/Izumo but right now, I want to focus a bit more on Anna and Mikoto :) Thanks for your understanding and supportive words. They're really appreciated :) **

**Miechan: I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for the review :)**

**Hodgeheg: Nah, it's not bad. It happens. Sometimes I can't remember either, but I go back to find out. It's like digging through a lot of text messages to find a particular one. But I don't mind. I like text messages, and reviews :) Glad you liked this chapter! I'll put up more stuff with Seri later on :)**

**ladeste: You'll see Chef again soon! And of course Lion-O ;) Thanks for those wonderful words :)**

**Little Weirdo: Hope you did well in those exams :) By the way, *HUG* ;)**

**Guest: Are you the person who reviewed as 'flower' last time? Just wondering so I would know exactly who I'm responding to :) The time-skip might not be huge, but more than likely there would be a time skip. You'll understand when I put up the sequel :) I actually got the idea of how Izumo and Seri's relationship might have been from Seri's character song, but I still did a lot of guessing for it. Thanks for those lovely words about the fluff. I love writing it in :)**

**Misha Holic: Well, it's just what I assume. I could be wrong. Thanks for those nice words about the chapter, and hope you enjoyed this one too. Yes, Izumo really did seem like a drunk, old, perverted man :D**

**Bre Renee: I always look forward to your reviews! I love long reviews too :) I'm glad you like how I write in Izumo, especially when he's drunk. I always try to write in fluff because I love writing it and I know most readers, if not all-including yourself-love reading it! Thank you for always reviewing, and I do love your reviews very much! And thank you so much for those wonderful words. I truly, truly appreciate them :)**

**Titania: I'm just happy to hear from you, and I'm more pleased to know that you made your exams your priority. School (no matter how much we hate it) is important :) I'm also really glad that you still enjoy this story. Thank you for always reading the new chapters :)**

**nevertheless: Lol! That's an excellent analogy for those two! Hahahaah! They really did seem like that! And thank you, so, so much for your kind words. I appreciated them a lot :)**

**Yanniesama: Thanks for your review, and I'm glad to know you're enjoying this story. And thanks for the well wishes. God bless :)**

**_Thank you all again, you guys always motivate and encourage me to keep writing. _  
**

**_Let me know your thoughts on this chapter. _**

**_God bless :)_**


	42. Cigarettes and Pocky

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

**_A/N: Cigarettes look cool only on good-looking anime characters. In real life, smokers don't look cool and if anyone encourages you to smoke, they are not a friend. It is your personal choice, but I do not advise you to use cigarettes in any way, even if many anime characters do (they're the only ones who can do it and look cool)._**

**_****I'm cutting down a bit on the Seri/Izumo/Reisi love triangle for now. Sorry for those who are disappointed but I really want to focus on Iwao right now as well as Anna and Mikoto. _**

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

**Chapter 42: Cigarettes and Pocky**

"From the information I got, it seems that the students who had accused Iwao of attempted rape were all truly related to various members of the Board. Iwao was telling the truth," Natsume informed Anna and Mikoto who were sitting at the breakfast table. "It seems highly possible that he was really set up,"

Chef was waiting patiently at Mikoto's side, to question him about the meal he had given to him this time. Anna had prepared it and she had decided to do so because she had taken pity on Chef after dinner yesterday.

"_I am a failure! A failure as a Chef! I cannot please one young man! I will be laughed at my colleagues! Humiliated! **Blacklisted**!" the poor cook had been sobbing in the kitchen when Anna had walked in to get some juice from the refrigerator. _

"_Mikoto likes simple food," Anna told him softly. _

_Chef's body stiffened and he lifted his weepy face from his arms. Snot was leaking out of his pointy nose and his eyes were red. He looked rather...unpleasant, but very pitiful. _

"_Does he, Anna-hime?"_

_She nodded. _

_Chef narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe that!" he stated and swiped his hand angrily. "such a complex looking man must be in favor of complex meals!"_

_As Anna poured some juice into her glass, she told Chef, "I will prepare breakfast tomorrow,"_

_Chef's mouth dropped open. "You? Make breakfast? For everyone?"_

_She nodded. _

"_No," he stated, annoyed. "you insist on making your own lunch all the time too and I therefore refuse to allow you to make breakfast for everyone as well. I will prepare a simple breakfast of toast and eggs tomorrow,"_

"_Then Chef-san will cook up a Spanish omelette with homemade authentic French croissants," Anna pointed out. _

_Chef frowned. "Is that too complex?"_

_Anna nodded. _

_Chef took off his hat and held it to his heart. "Anna-hime, you come from poor, simple people," he told her in a very heartfelt manner as he attributed her simplicity to below the poverty line. _

_Anna didn't say anything to that. She was actually an orphan who was lucky enough to be taken into a clan. The clan itself wasn't exactly dirt poor as Chef seemed to think because they made quite a bit of money from their bounty hunting activities, plus Mikoto always got compensated for any work he did with the Gold King. _

_They were able to offer a ten million yen reward for anyone with information on Tatara's killer...so technically, they weren't poor. Maybe they did have a lot money, but just didn't care about it. _

_Anna didn't care about it either, that's why she didn't really know what their status was. After all, wealth didn't define her as a person. Wealth didn't make Mikoto a King. In fact, the Dresden Slate just gave him power. Mikoto was a King because his clan members considered him a leader, just as Anna was a princess simply because they considered her to be a princess. It was their personalities that had really granted them those positions._

"_I will prepare breakfast tomorrow," Anna told the sympathetic Chef. _

* * *

And that was how everyone wound up eating a very simple meal. They did not know that Anna had made it, but Haru, Yuki and Ryosuke probably knew because they were too accustomed to Chef's complex meals to wonder why he would suddenly switch to something so simple.

Mikoto, Chef seemed to think, didn't really know the difference.

And to his dismay, it seemed that the young man didn't care because he just cared about getting the food into his stomach and not about who made it.

"The Gold King must have done this deliberately, for his sake," Haru was saying. "the research those men produce is usually used to improve the technology of this country. That's why he might have taken a special interest in Iwao. This case shows that there's some funny business going on and he probably wanted us to investigate it."

"Why didn't the Gold King just tell us his suspicions?" Ryosuke asked.

Izumo who had decided to join them for breakfast, answered, "Because we would have said 'no' to getting involved in this. This isn't really a matter for the Red Clan-it's the Blue Clan,"

"So he deliberately sent Iwao here because we could keep a better eye on him with the high tech security. He basically forced the matter on us," Ryosuke realized.

"Yes," Natsume answered. She sighed. She glanced at Mikoto who was finishing his eggs and toast. "What do you think about this?"

He shrugged. "Troublesome,"

"Exactly my thoughts," Natsume agreed.

Mikoto stood up from the table. "Contact the old man. He will give you all the information you need, or where you need to go to get it,"

"What about the Blue King and his subordinates?"

"They're already doing their part with Fushimi,"

In other words, Mikoto wasn't keen on working with them. No one was really, not even Izumo. He had learned a lesson the hard way for shirking his duties in favor of romance. It was their silliness that had contributed to Iwao realizing that there were also Blue Clan members there. Mikoto moved to leave the table.

"Why did he send the Blue guys here though?" Ryosuke questioned.

"Because they're responsible for the strains," Izumo answered.

Meanwhile, Mikoto wandered into the kitchen and Chef followed behind him.

"Suoh-kun, did you enjoy breakfast?" he questioned.

Mikoto shrugged.

"You have no complaints?"

"It's food," Mikoto stated and went to the refrigerator to get some milk.

Chef scratched his head.

So the guy really did prefer simple food? After all, he didn't really criticize the breakfast and Chef believed that Mikoto did not know that Anna had made breakfast.

Chef walked away just as Anna entered. He looked at her with a confused expression and Anna realized that he was still stunned that Mikoto was not one to care for exotic, well-planned dishes.

Anna found Mikoto drinking some milk.

"Mikoto?" she said his name.

He glanced at her.

"Did you like breakfast?" she asked him.

He shrugged. Anna let out a soft breath. She knew he wouldn't really admit it and that despite Chef believing otherwise, Mikoto _did_ actually know she had cooked.

However, Mikoto reached out and pinched her cheek. She moaned in pain and he released her. Before she could tell him anything, he lowered his head and kissed the mark. She could feel his soft breath and his warm lips on her skin.

"Don't trouble yourself like that again," he told her as he drew back. "but thank you."

Anna's face softened a little.

He lifted his glass again and proceeded to drink some more milk.

When he lowered his glass, he had a milk moustache.

Anna lifted her hand and using her thumb, gently swiped away the white liquid. "Mikoto is drinking milk instead of alcohol," she stated.

Mikoto caught her wrist before she could lower her hand.

Golden eyes looked down at her meaningfully. Mikoto's mouth seemed to tighten a little as he looked at her and abruptly, he lifted her hand to his lips and gently flicked away the liquid from her thumb. Anna blushed at the feel of his wet tongue on her appendage.

_Anna made a soft noise of frustration as she fought off the icing spoon that Izumo was having fun touching her cheeks with. _

_Tatara, standing nearby as he removed a cake from the oven, laughed. _

_Anna, for once, actually looked at them with an annoyed expression. She was quite an amusing sight with her cheeks and her forehead dripping with strawberry frosting. _

"_Huh? What are you doing?" came Mikoto's voice._

_Three pairs of eyes turned to him. _

"_Doesn't Anna look sweet?" Izumo chuckled. "good enough to be eaten!"_

"_Izumo, that's a rude thing to say to a little girl," Tatara chided him._

_The two proceeded to debate over Izumo's statement while Anna climbed down from the chair she had been standing on to mix the frosting together, and hurried over to Mikoto. She looked up at him with her wide, dark eyes that were tinged with red. _

_Her cheeks, her forehead and even her lips had a good battering of pink frosting. He did find the sight quite funny and coughed to cover up his laugh._

_However, Anna's mouth trembled slightly, indicating that she knew full well that he was quite amused by her and she was hurt by that. Mikoto's feel of mirth immediately disappeared. Somehow, having a little nine year old upset with him didn't sit too well with him._

_Especially when that person had wide eyes and an expressionless face, and happened to be his precious princess, Anna Kushina. _

_He reached down to her face with his large hand. Anna's mouth twisted a little as the rough pad of his thumb flicked away some icing from her cheek._

_He lifted his hand and tasted it. _

_He seemed to like it for he stooped in front of Anna and after observing her for a long moment, he chose to flick away some icing from her other cheek. Anna lifted her hand to him, showing that her small fingers were covered in the pink frosting._

_Gently, he took her wrist in his hand, and brought his mouth to her hand, casually licking the icing on her fingers. Anna blushed a little at the feel of his warm, wet tongue on her. _

_Tatara caught sight of the two and he immediately stopped arguing with Izumo as his mouth dropped open in horror. _

_Wondering what had surprised his comrade like that Izumo turned around and his reaction mirrored that of his friend's. _

"_King! That's even worse!" Tatara gasped and grabbed Anna away from him. He proceeded to find a damp cloth to wipe away the frosting from Anna's face and hands._

"_Mikoto, you can't go around licking little girls' hands!" Izumo scolded._

_Mikoto got to his feet and looked at his friend. _

"_Izumo?" he said is name calmly. _

"_Yes?" Izumo replied, suspiciously. _

_In response, the red king caught him by the back of his neck and pulled his face closer to his own. Then he licked a drop of icing directly from Izumo's cheek. He let a bewildered Izumo go and strode casually out the door. _

"_T-That's sexual harassment!" Izumo exclaimed, shocked out of his mind. He snatched the cloth from Tatara who had been using it on Anna began wiping his own face with it. Mikoto had a sense of humor that he displayed very rarely and most of the time, it tended to be a bit twisted (like calling the horse Anna once wanted to keep 'Basashi')._

_Anna glanced at Izumo. "What's sexual harassment?"_

_Izumo let out a weary sigh and dropped the cloth before slapping his hand to his forehead in frustration. _

* * *

Mikoto eyes remained on Anna's face, unblinkingly as his tongue removed the last drop of milk from her finger.

As soon as he drew back, the door opened and Natsume walked into the room with her PDA in her hand while she looked at its screen.

"Mikoto, I just got into contact with the Gold King. He admitted that he was the one who chose Seneca as the school for Iwao to teach in and..." Natsume stopped suddenly. The atmosphere around her felt thick.

Quiet.

Deep.

She felt as though she had walked into a certain kind of atmosphere that only people who were in love tended to have.

She looked at Mikoto and Anna now. They were facing each other, blank of any expression.

Natsume cocked an eyebrow at them. "Did I interrupt something?"

She sensed confusion as well, on both their parts although the pair simultaneously shook their heads.

"I see," she murmured, and continued, "anyway, the old man told me that this was an important matter to him because as we had suspected earlier, the Board of Researchers at that particular college are the ones who developed much of the technology that pulled Japan to a highly developed status in recent years. If Iwao really is innocent, then it is not fair that his reputation be ruined because of them. We have the resources available to us to help us figure out if he really is guilty or not. Of course, if Iwao really is as brilliant as he is, then the Gold King would want him to return to the facility,"

"And that's the real crux of the matter," Mikoto muttered.

Natsume nodded. "Yes. If Iwao is guilty as well, then it means that there are levels of corruption there and the Gold King provides a lot of funding to them. It would mean that all this funds is being wasted because of their corruption and therefore much investigating is needed,"

"Has the Gold King sent anyone in yet to look into them?"

"He has. And so far all they've found is a bunch of egotistical bastards. They actually do research there, and that is why the Gold King will not cut off his funding-having an ego and being brilliant does not necessarily equate a corruption, especially when the research being done has been known to produce highly useful results,"

Mikoto grunted in agreement.

"But what about the students who claimed to be assaulted?" Anna questioned.

"We're still looking into it," Natsume responded.

* * *

_Saturday:_

There was one thing in his memory that imprinted itself and refused to leave. It was the one thing his twenty six year old self relished and could hardly do without.

Tobacco.

Tobacco wrapped in white filters that upon burning he could inhale the toxic fumes into his lungs and calm his troubled nerves.

It was the one thing that was so bad for him, but was yet so damned _good_.

And he had been deprived of it since waking up as a fourteen year old boy! Day after day, his heart longed for those cigarettes, especially as his memories came back to him.

Mikoto knew he had to get one!

So fixated he was on smoking again that he actually thought he was hallucinating when he got a whiff of the lung pollutant while walking up the staircase of Natsume's home. He paused and lifted his head, sniffing the air like a dog who caught the faint scent of some delicious smelling cooked meat.

_It was real! There was cigarettes somewhere around!_

Like a bloodhound, the red headed king followed the trail to the top of the staircase, then down the hall to the very last room to the end of the house. It was a room that had a few bookcases so it was perhaps a library of some sort.

To the back of this room, there was a pair of doors that lead out into a balcony and there stood none other than Haru Natsume, enjoying a cigarette.

* * *

He had promised his wife that he would cut back.

But the habit was over thirty years old! It was already one day and thus far he had been having severe withdrawal symptoms: shakes, shivers, cold sweating...

And then he had caught sight of it: the beautifully red packaged white sticks of tobacco and bad chemicals that soothed his nerves.

Haru Natsume snapped as easily as a twig in the hands of a body builder.

Now, here he was, shamefully taking in deep lungfuls of the hideous smog that was so bad but felt so damned _good_.

And the best part about it? Yuki Natsume would never find out! She never came to this part of the house because there was simply no reason for her to.

So never. _Ever_. Was she gonna find out!

Despite his shame, Haru was gleeful at his getting away with his bad habit.

Somehow hiding and smoking made it feel all the more better.

He was so caught up in his second cigarette and the joy of his wife not finding out that he had not heard his King approach.

"Oi,"

Haru jumped and ended up inhaling too much on the cigarette and coughed it out. He struggled to find his voice amidst his hacking.

When he finally did, he spun to face the teenage king. "Mikoto! What are you doing here?"

Mikoto, with his usual mean face on, walked toward the older man with his hands shoved into his pockets.

"What are _you_ doing?"

"Um...well...I...was enjoying the fresh air! It's such a beautiful night out!"

"Smells like tobacco," Mikoto stated bluntly.

Haru stiffened. He had an uncomfortable look on his face.

Scratching the back of his head, he pleaded, "Look, I promised Yuki I'd stop, but I can't. It's hard! Promise me you won't tell her?"

Mikoto's mouth tightened a bit. "It depends,"

Haru frowned. "Depends on what?"

"Give me a cigarette," Mikoto ordered, clearly blackmailing him.

Haru narrowed his eyes. "For what?"

"To smoke, obviously," Mikoto answered impatiently.

Haru shook his head. "Even though you're supposed to be twenty six, you're currently only fourteen. I can't give a young person cigarettes. My sense of morality won't allow me to, especially as the principal of a Middle School,"

Mikoto walked up to Haru and looked him dead in the eye, startling the older man. "Give. Me. A. Cigarette," Mikoto commanded.

Haru hesitated, and despite the firm, almost frightening look in the younger man's face, Haru shook his head.

"Mikoto, I can't. You know that,"

In reply, Mikoto snatched the pack of cigarettes out of Haru's hand.

"Wait! No, Mikoto!"

Mikoto ignored him as he pulled out one and stuck it in his mouth. He lifted his thumb and was about to flick the tip of the cigarette to light it using his power.

However, Anna's voice interrupted him.

"Mikoto, what are you doing?"

Haru and Mikoto stilled at the voice of Anna.

They turned to see her standing there. "What are you doing here?" Mikoto demanded.

"I smelled cigarettes and no one smokes," Anna explained. She glanced over to Haru who immediately became nervous at Anna seeming to have figured out that he was responsible for it. "Or at least isn't supposed to,"

Mikoto grunted and lifted his thumb again.

"Mikoto," Anna interrupted him again.

He gave her an irritated look. "What?" he snapped.

"Why are you smoking?"

"Because I want to," he replied and the annoyance and impatience in his voice could be heard now.

"You're fourteen," Anna pointed out as she reached out and took the pack of cigarettes from Mikoto.

"I don't care," Mikoto retorted, about to light his cigarette again.

However, he stopped when saw that Anna had pulled out one from the pack as well and was eying it curiously. He narrowed his eyes.

"What are you going to do with that?" he demanded around the unlit cigarette in his mouth.

Anna looked at it him and blinked. "Mikoto is so young and he's smoking, so I want to do so as well,"

Mikoto gave her a long, hard look.

"You want to smoke, huh?"

She nodded.

"I see," he murmured. Then he sighed and snatched away the pack of cigarettes from her left hand as well as the lone one from her other. He replaced the white stick of tobacco into the box and then tossed it at Haru who caught it.

"What are you doing?" Haru asked, confused.

"She wants to smoke," Mikoto answered as he removed the unlit cigarette from his mouth. "so I'm letting her."

"Wait, Mikoto-"

But Mikoto lifted his hand, silencing him. Younger than him Mikoto might be, but Haru was still his clansman and Mikoto was still his king. Haru had to obey him.

Even if he didn't like what he was seeing.

However, he also knew that Mikoto _knew_ what he was doing, so he waited to see what the teenager had planned.

"Open your mouth," he instructed Anna.

She did as she was told and stuck the cigarette into her mouth. It was then that Anna realized that he was mad.

He was upset that she had asked him for a cigarette and it seemed that he was about to teach her a lesson by letting her do _exactly_ what she wanted.

Mikoto lifted his finger and touched it with his red aura.

Anna unintentionally inhaled the bad fumes and she felt her chest spasm and she coughed in response.

"Don't spit it out," he growled. "Relax and pull on it."

Anna made a soft whimper and did as she was told and immediately more of the nasty smoke and the thick bitter chemicals invaded her mouth and her chest, making her have the urge to cough it out and only then did Mikoto take away the cigarette from her.

She continued coughing when she felt his hand on the back of her head slide to her back and gently rub, as if trying to soothe her. His other arm went around her waist and she was drawn against his strong, warm body.

He kept her there, despite her continuous coughing and slowly rubbed her back for her.

"Do you still want to use cigarettes?" he asked gruffly.

Her face brushed against the material of his soft shirt as she shook it. She paused to wipe at her watery eyes.

He seemed to not be satisfied with her response because suddenly, Mikoto's hands were on her shoulders and drawing her away from him slightly before pulling her upward to her toes. Her wide, surprised grey eyes lifted to meet his dead serious golden ones.

"Do you, Anna? Answer me," he ordered in a very firm tone.

"No," she replied in a weak voice.

He lowered his head and kissed her cheek before he gave her a quick nuzzle at his favorite spot and let her go.

"Smoking's bad for you," he said to her and lifted her still lit cigarette to his lips. "even if I do it."

He took a long awaited drag into his mouth.

And coughed.

He dropped the cigarette and covered his mouth as he felt his lungs become irritated by the smoke.

Haru reached out and patted his back.

"Smoking's bad for you too, Mikoto," he told him sympathetically.

Once his coughing quieted, Mikoto straightened up with a bemused look on his face. Why did he cough? He was a pro at smoking!

Another voice, quite angry, said, "Smoking _is_ bad...for all of you!"

The three people turned to see the vision of a very, very angry Yuki Natsume.

* * *

Haru Natsume, the strict, fearsome sergeant to his precious pupils was yelled at and sent to bed by his wife.

After she finished dealing with him, she turned to the younger pair.

"Mikoto, what in the world were you thinking, allowing Anna to smoke and what are _you_ doing smoking? You're only fourteen!"

Mikoto was not bothered by her angry, somewhat disappointed tone of voice.

He shrugged. "Anna wanted to smoke, so I let her,"

"You just let her?!" Natsume repeated, clearly vexed at his nonchalant attitude.

Mikoto glanced at Anna over his shoulder who was looking down with her hands tightly clasped in shame.

"Hey, do you still want to smoke?"

Anna shook her head.

Natsume seemed to settle a little at his words. Quietly, she murmured so that only he could hear, "You manipulated her into hating cigarettes?"

Mikoto nodded. Although Anna was accustomed to cigarette smoke for she practically lived in it, actually smoking one was quite a different story; due to the abhorrent taste of it, and the fact that it contained lung irritants, she would cough and dislike it on the first try and since she was so young, he made sure that the memory of her first cigarette was bad enough to keep from _ever_ trying them again.

"Why did I cough though?" Mikoto questioned.

Natsume looked thoughtful. "Possibly because you are back at the stage before you actually tried cigarettes, therefore your palette isn't used to it, neither are young lungs. You've smoked so much, you've forgotten what it was like when you first started and now you're at that beginning point again. Even if you remember smoking, you don't have a proper recollection of that first time, so this is like a first time all over again for you and your body is at a state reverted to before you ever tried them. You therefore coughed it out,"

Mikoto tsked, quite annoyed. Now he was turned off from cigarettes too.

* * *

_Monday:_

"Mikoto is sulking," Anna commented. It was early Monday morning and they were sitting beside each other on the couch in the Finder's Clubroom. Anna had a pocky stick in her mouth which she was slowly nibbling.

Mikoto looked at her from the corner of his eyes with a very frosty expression on. In his mouth was the end of a straw that was attached to a juice pack held in his hand. "The brat who wanted cigarettes should be quiet," he shot back and returned his attention to his PDA before he tossed the now empty juice box into the garbage bin beside the box. He was reading up some information sent to him on the students who had accused Iwao of attempting to assault them. They had sent enough information to the Gold King to have the case officially reopened so he (the Gold King) willingly lent his services by doing what was asked of him in sourcing all the necessary information they needed.

Thus far, it seemed that the three students hadn't been physically assaulted. All three had the same claim: they were asked to stay back after school and once there, Iwao would strike up a conversation with them.

The students were currently being reinterviewed, but based on what Iwao claimed when Natsume spoke to him again, it seemed that he had spoken to those three students specifically because they were related to those members of the Board and apparently, they had cut off all contact with Iwao and these three students were a means he had hoped to use to speak to them.

However, this suggested that the Board members did not like their relatives approached by the handsome young man but this also proved to be an opportunity to get rid off him and ruin him once and for all; accuse him of trying to abuse them.

The students claimed that he would start saying strange things to them that involved sex. The male student gave an interesting outline of how Iwao tried to advance in on him.

"_He told me had a girlfriend once and that it took him a long time to get into bed with her. He told me that he would teach me some tips on how to seduce her; he literally tried to teach me because he would touch my skin with his hands in a strange way and then he would unbutton my shirt and tell me that these were the ways men needed to use to get to women,"_

It seemed that it was when Iwao supposedly tried to get into the boy's clothing that the student became frightened and wanted to leave, but Iwao refused to let him go until the janitor came in shortly afterward. The story of the girls' was similar only he claimed that he was actually teaching them what to look out for with men who tried to seduce them.

Assault on minors was not a case to be taken lightly and that was another reason why the Gold king needed to have this matter properly sorted out-in case Iwao really was not innocent at all.

Anna spoke to Mikoto again on his words about cigarettes. "But Mikoto has been drinking a lot of juice from straws since last night," Anna pointed out.

"So what?"

"You're addicted to cigarettes,"

She gasped as she was suddenly grabbed by the shoulders and shoved roughly onto her back on the couch.

Mikoto loomed above her, his hands holding her down as he glowered at her.

Anna wasn't frightened by him-just a little surprise. Annoyed that she remained unfazed by his annoyance, he did what always got a response out of her-he pinched her cheek. She whimpered and caught his wrist to push his hand away, but he was very strong. For all the training she did in martial arts, she was very powerless against Mikoto-her strong, powerful, beautiful king.

Anna struggled against him, but he just moved to pinch the other cheek.

"I'm not addicted to them!" he snapped.

Then stopped moving.

The anger on his face faded slightly and was replaced by a strange look in his eyes as as he gazed at her mouth.

Anna frowned slightly. The pocky turned to the left with the slight movement of her mouth and Mikoto's eyes darted in their direction.

Slowly, his red head lowered.

Anna was unsure of what he was doing, but waited and watched as his golden eyes closed and his mouth drew closer and closer.

And clasped onto the other end of her pocky.

"M-Mikoto?" she stammered, stunned. She began to sense Mikoto's thoughts-which only happened when he was distressed or emotional over something.

Craving cigarettes seemed to be a reason for she could feel that there was a strong desire in his heart for it.

The pocky must have resembled a cigarette in his eyes.

"Mikoto, this isn't a cigarette," Anna spoke around her pocky.

Some of the strange look was removed from his face. He frowned slightly with his eyes remaining on her but he kept the other end of the pocky in his mouth.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened and in came Akemi and Kei, fighting over something nonsensical.

"Why don't you go bother your harem of airheads and leave me alone?!" Akemi was yelling at her friend.

"You're the one who's always attached to my side! You're a stalker!" Kei accused.

"Fu-" Akemi began but her eyes caught sight of Anna and Mikoto.

* * *

This was what Akemi saw:

Anna was on her back on the couch, her long, long white hair spilled in beautiful waves over the couch. Her pale, pretty face was facing that of her precious brother's. At her mouth was a pocky stick and attached to the other end of it was Anna's so called brother, who, with his red hair and golden eyes looked like a scary, but exceptionally handsome adonis who was hovering above her, looking very domineering and dangerous while Anna seemed so innocent and beautiful, lying under him like a delicate princess.

The room remained dead silent, and only the sound of the light snap of the pocky stick resounded in the room when Anna and Mikoto turned their heads to see the pair who was staring at them in dumfounded silence.

Now two immensely beautiful faces were staring at the two who was standing near the door, astonished at the sight.

Akemi gasped and covered her nose. Kei glanced at her while Anna and Mikoto blinked simultaneously.

Kei acted quickly then. He stepped forward, bowed politely at the two, then grabbed Akemi's arm and pulled her out the door which he slammed shut behind them.

Kei had his arm around Akemi's shoulders as he pulled out his white handkerchief and pushed away her hand on her face to replace it with his own with the handkerchief.

"I had no idea you were such an otaku, Akemi," he teased as the blood from Akemi's nose was being soaked up by the handkerchief.

"This nosebleed has nothing to do with perverted thoughts! Nothing at all!" Akemi denied. Suddenly she gasped. "Wait, they're too young!" She turned to go back, but Kei's arm tightened around her, stopping her.

Akemi was quite an amusing sight with dried blood around her nose and a desperate look in her eyes for wanting to care for her friend. Kei chuckled.

"Mikoto-san doesn't seem like the type to do anything strange to Anna. I think they're fine. They're just sharing a pocky,"

Akemi's eyes rounded into huge blue orbs. "Pocky games usually equal kisses," she whispered in fascination.

"Well it's alright if they just kiss, right?" Kei asked.

Akemi looked thoughtful, then nodded. Why not? The two weren't related by blood and they made a beautiful couple.

Kei was smiling in a very good natured way with her. Akemi noticed that it was different from most times when she automatically expected him to do something mean to her while smiling wonderfully. He was genuinely being nice to her. It had been a while since she saw this side to him and she smiled warmly at him.

He seemed taken aback by her expression, but did not question it. He returned her smile.

"Akemi?" came another voice.

The pair looked up to see Hajime standing there with a frown on his face. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You guys seem to be having fun,"

Kei released Akemi. "Now now, where are your thoughts going, Fumio-san? Akemi and I have just been friends for a while. I better get going. See you around, Akemi,"

Akemi, to his side, caught the sleeve of his shirt. "Kei," she said his name seriously. He looked at her.

"How do you feel about that?"

'That' obviously meant the scene they walked into with Mikoto and Anna. Kei knew what she meant so he answered, "I said I wouldn't get in the way, and I won't. I accept it...and I prefer it," he added in an afterthought.

He walked away so Akemi could not understand what he meant when he said that he 'preferred it.'

What Kei had meant was that he knew from their conversation with Natsume-san when they had learned of Anna's powers that people had used her for them before, and that her life could be in danger. A person like Mikoto who was at Anna's side possibly had powers too-no, Kei corrected himself, Mikoto-san _definitely_ had powers. There was no way a beast like him wouldn't. He would protect and care for Anna, and Kei was quite certain that Mikoto had been doing that for a long time, and for that reason, he preferred that Anna remain at Mikoto's side.

He would always give her the care and protection that she needed and Kei had a feeling that Mikoto was someone who Anna needed, and Anna was someone who Mikoto needed.

* * *

Anna and Mikoto turned their eyes to each other again after the pair had left. Mikoto sighed and shifted so that his elbow was pressed into the couch beside her ear as he propped his head in his hand. He pulled his part of the pocky into his mouth and quietly chewed it.

Anna did the same and waited for him to speak.

"It's a habit," he told her quietly and lightly stroked the red mark on her cheek with his thumb. Anna enjoyed his tender touch.

"But it's bad," Anna said. She said it rather than asked because she understood from his actions from Saturday that he did not want her smoking in anyway.

"It's bad and it's dangerous," he affirmed.

"Then why does Mikoto do it?" she questioned.

"Habit," he repeated and removed his hand from her cheek and moved it to her hair, idly stroking a strand of it. "most people smoke as a means of easing tension, but it is a very bad and dangerous habit. I'm not dropping it,"

Anna knew he wouldn't, simply because he was Mikoto and didn't care.

"If I started smoking, what would you do?" Anna questioned.

"It's your choice to do what you want, but I would prefer if you didn't," Mikoto responded.

Anna nodded in understanding. Mikoto was not the type to really restrict her from anything and he did allow her freedom with most things. He did draw the line when it came to her endangering herself, but cigarettes were something he would leave her to do as she pleased although Anna had a feeling that if he did actually catch her smoking one day, he would show her that side of him that he rarely showed-the side that could be very cold, and very angry and she would need to have a pretty good excuse for smoking if that day ever came.

Mikoto sat up. "You have to go to class," he reminded her. He glanced at her when he noted that she had not moved since sitting upright and had remained silent.

Her large gray eyes that were tinted red were looking up at him, almost expectantly.

Mikoto sighed wearily. He knew what she wanted.

He caught her shoulder with one hand and lowering his head, he kissed the dark red spot he had created on her left cheek, and the lightly pink one on her right. Anna enjoyed the feel of his warm lips on her skin and gave him a very tiny smile before leaving.

Mikoto watched her leave through the door before releasing another sigh.

"Brat," he muttered, but his heart was very much at ease because of this particular brat. At ease enough for him to also give a very tiny smile before turning back to his PDA to continue reading up about the three students who had come forward with claims against Iwao.

"_Anna, let's make omurice together!" Tatara invited her._

_Anna looked up at him and tilted her head to her side as if giving him an assessing look. He frowned as he stood before her while she sat on the couch. _

"_Anna?"_

"_Tatara...you smell like tobacco," Anna said quietly. _

_Izumo, from the behind his bar, looked up from cleaning his glass. "Eh? You started back?"_

_Tatara smiled uncomfortably. "Sometimes I do. Not much though," _

"_Smoking's bad for you," Mikoto informed him while lighting his own cigarette as he moved to sit beside Anna. He glanced at his princess who was watching him. He blew out a puff of smoke. "even if I do it."_

* * *

"Awashima-kun," came Reisi's voice.

Seri turned around to see her Captain. She had just received a copy of Fushimi's report.

"Yes sir?"

Reisi watched her silently for a moment. Then he let out a soft breath.

"I need you here," he said quietly.

Seri assured him, "I know. I will stay, for now,"

Reisi nodded and placed a kind hand on top of her head before he moved past her. "When this is over, we'll talk,"

Somehow, she could accept that. She could wait for them to talk and sort out their issues on a personal level. For the time being, there were other matters that were necessary for them to handle.

* * *

Fushimi had given in his report. The person he had been looking into was Chie. Now, he stood by the window of a classroom that over looked the basketball court. Short as he was, Yata was a good basketball player and he seemed to really be enjoying showing off for Emi. Her compliments just served to swell that soft head of his.

Yata shot the ball through the basket again quite easily and was seeking to now show the pretty little thing who was, as of late, often at his side.

Fushimi tsked in annoyance as he folded his arms. Wasn't there a rule against teacher-student relationships?

"You have a thing for that guy?" came a familiar cool voice.

Fushimi glanced over his shoulder to see Chie standing there. Ever poised like a cold hearted Queen, she gazed upon him.

Fushimi knew that very few people could shake this girl.

He was also very much aware that _he_ was one of the few who actually could.

So, snorting he moved his arms from his chest and shoved them into his pockets as he walked over to Chie who remained standing as she was, unflinching from the smirk Fushimi had on his face.

His head lowered to hers abruptly and she did not move.

Fushimi sneered before he slammed his hand into wall beside her head.

"Look what the cat dragged in. Still stalking the middle school teacher?" Fushimi questioned.

Chie made a soft, "Hmph-as if you would ever understand, Fushimi-san,"

Fushimi narrowed his eyes slightly. "He's a good looking guy, you know. What did he do? Screw you and leave you?"

Chie stiffened and scowled darkly. She seemed about to retort something, but then she stopped and said on a calm note, "That's exactly it, Fushimi-san. _Exactly_ as you say,"

She shoved him away and moved to go, but Fushimi caught her arm. Chie was about to pull away, but then she felt his soft breath on her hair, and then his voice saying softly into her ear so that she knew he was very close to her, "Or did he hurt someone...someone very dear to you?"

Chie did not move a muscle.

Fushimi drew back his head and waited for her to answer.

Quietly she told him, "Fushimi-san, there are people in this life who will hurt you and those who you love the most. What do you about it when that happens?" She moved to walk and away and he let her, observing as she moved to the window that overlooked where Emi and Yata were. She placed a hand on the glass pane and looked outside almost longingly. "Emi really likes that sensei. Are you jealous?" she changed the topic, trying to be friendly it seemed.

Fushimi knew for it was plainly obvious that she would go no further into detail about what was in her heart.

But he understood pain, and he understood the desire to want to protect someone dear to him. He came to stand beside her and kept his eyes on Yata.

Even if half his heart wanted to protect him, another half wanted to beat the hell out of him.

"They're both stupid," Fushimi commented. "they suit each other."

Chie, for the first time, smiled at Fushimi.

The young man almost blushed at the sight of her for her smile, as small as it was, was filled with warmth.

But almost a sad kind.

It was like a tragic kind of smile and it made Fushimi go from fighting off a blush to a slight frown.

"Emi clings to illusions even if her heart knows something isn't true. She and that sensei could make a good couple, but at the same time a very bad one if things go wrong. They could both pretend that problems don't exist,"

Fushimi sighed and observed them. He could believe that to be true about the pair. In a way it was already happening. The way those two laughed and smiled with each other, the expressions on their faces was enough to say that they both had genuine feelings for each other.

The problem on the part of Emi was that Yata was a teacher. Teacher-student relationships were forbidden but she pretended that it didn't matter that she was becoming closer to her sensei. The same applied to Yata, except that he was technically the vanguard of Homra and not a teacher and soon he would have to leave Seneca when they finished handling this situation with Iwao. Yata, as well, pretended that he wouldn't have to leave soon and allowed Emi to be close to him.

The two were both disillusioned fools.

But Fushimi also knew that when it was time to face up to reality, Yata would. He would accept it because that was how Yata was.

He wasn't so sure about Emi though. He had a feeling that she was someone who might run away from reality.

"What did Iwao do?" Fushimi asked quietly.

"Why do you care?" Chie countered his questioned, but not in a hostile manner.

Fushimi sighed. He had already submitted his report on Chie. He couldn't get her to admit to anything and he wouldn't force her. He had investigated quite a bit on her to draw certain conclusions. Soon, she would be interrogated by someone with the right authority on Iwao Orochi.

"The principal wants to speak to you," Fushimi informed her.

"What? Why?" Chie demanded.

Fushimi shrugged. "Maybe he realized that you screwed with Iwao-sensei,"

Emi snorted and folded her arms. "As if," she muttered and walked away.

* * *

Later that day, Seri was encircled in Izumo's arms as he swirled them around the room. Today, just for today, he was her assistant again because Ryosuke had some other matters to take care of regarding the High School.

She was not hostile toward Izumo and he had laid off trying to seduce her.

"We'll talk when this is over," Izumo told her.

Seri nodded. She accepted that as Izumo twirled her around before catching her by the waist and pressing her against strong, hard body. They would talk about them when it was over and decide what the future should be for the two of them-if one actually existed.

Meanwhile, Anna glanced up at Mikoto, whose face, as usual, was unsmiling and almost vexed looking. He was her dance partner while across the room, Akemi and Kei were dancing together again.

"Where's Fumio-san?" Kei heckled her. Apparently, because they had been paired up together in the first dance class, they were unable to change partners.

"If you must know, my boyfriend had an emergency chess club meeting so he was excused from dance class today,"

"I see," Kei said, but Akemi could hear him smirking.

She tsked in annoyance. The play would be soon with him playing Romeo, and she Juliet. Tomorrow was practice, then the following day would be the play. Friday was the official dance. Of course, Hajime was going to be her partner.

"Does Fumio-san have a problem with me?" Kei asked quietly.

Akemi looked up her handsome friend with a surprised look. "I don't think so. Why should he?"

Kei shrugged. "Because I wouldn't blame him if he acted like Mikoto-san who doesn't like me getting too close with Anna,"

"They're different," Akemi pointed out.

Kei nodded. "That is true, but I am a male friend of yours and perhaps your _only_ male friend. I wouldn't be surprised if Fumio-san was uncomfortable with our closeness,"

Akemi gave him an annoyed look. "Stupid Kei. You were my friend before him,"

Kei shrugged as he smiled down at her. "But it wouldn't be fair to him, would it? I wouldn't blame him if he feels insecure because we're dance partners, and because we're in a romantic play together,"

Akemi narrowed her eyes. "What about you, Kei? Your relationship with Anna and I never got affected by the one with your girlfriends,"

"I wasn't serious about them,"

Akemi abruptly stopped moving, almost causing Kei to trip. He stumbled into her a bit and had to grab her by her slender shoulders to prevent himself from falling.

"Ow...why did you stop?" he demanded as he straightened.

"You are such a moron, Kei," she said, clearly irritated with him. Kei was basically trying to convince her to stop spending time with him. Akemi did not like that.

"Why are you calling me that?" he demanded. Then, he slid his arms around her and drew her close to his chest, holding her there so gently. "My sweet, sweet, Akemi. I promised myself that I would repay you for running away from me so much lately," he crooned in her ear and rubbed his cheek against her hair, "now you've reminded me of how much I wanted to do that, especially with you calling me such bad, bad names."

Akemi began to struggle. "You dumbass!" she hisses, hoping not to attract any attention from other couples. "you're telling me about Hajime's insecurity, but look at what you're doing!"

Kei let her go immediately and Akemi gave him a good glare. Before he could say anything, their female instructor called out, "Alright, class is now finished! Good work everyone!"

With that, Akemi hurried away.

Kei gazed after her, frowning hard.

"Kei? What's wrong with Akemi?" came Anna's voice behind him. She was standing beside Mikoto, about to leave.

Kei automatically smiled at her from over his shoulder. "She's just a little upset," he responded.

Anna tilted her head to the side and blinked. "What did you do...this time?"

Kei's smile turned into a slight frown. "You make it sound like I upset her often,"

"It's all you ever do," Mikoto muttered beside Anna.

Kei laughed nervously. "Yeah, I guess that's true...Ah...I don't really know what's wrong. I guess I just don't understand women,"

A large hand was suddenly on his head. "You're right kid, _who_ can understand them?"

Anna and Mikoto saw that it was Izumo standing beside Kei.

Kei, having never really interacted with this sensei, glanced up and smiled.

Izumo was taken aback by that very, very familiar smile.

He was about to say '_Tatara_' but Anna, used to that reaction toward her friend by now asked, "Kusanagi-sensei, when is the last dance class?"

Izumo, startled by her looked at her. He removed his hand from Kei and scratched his own head lightly and then answered, clearly a bit flustered, "Er...on Thursday. The dance is on Friday so we'll end early on Thursday so that everyone will have enough time to prepare,"

"I still need a date," Kei muttered.

Izumo grinned. "Come now, a good looking boy like yourself shouldn't have problems getting a date,"

Kei smiled again, and flowers seemed to bloom around him. "Sensei, are you flirting with me?"

Izumo was once more, stunned. The smile and those stupid words were just like Tatara. In fact, Izumo had automatically made his hand into a fist to whack him on the head.

But he didn't. He managed to stop himself in time.

"You're a funny kid. What's your name again?" Izumo questioned.

"Kei Junichi," Kei answered, still smiling.

Izumo gave him an assessing look. "Junichi can mean 'obedient one'. You seem more like a disobedient brat,"

Kei just gave a good natured chuckle. "I've been told that many times. Anyway, I have to go now, sensei. Bye Anna, Mikoto-san," and he hurried off.

Izumo watched as Kei left. During their short conversation, nearly everyone had already left, including Seri.

Anna moved to follow behind, but Izumo grabbed her shoulder.

"Anna, who is that guy?" he demanded.

Anna looked up at her guardian who was staring after her friend with a very serious expression on.

"He is a classmate," Anna responded.

"Her friend," Mikoto corrected.

Izumo glanced at his currently fourteen year old King. Mikoto was watching after Kei, rather blankly as well.

"'Friend'? He looks like Tatara. They could be related or something," Izumo muttered. Then he gave Anna a probing look. "You like him?"

"He's my friend," Anna responded.

"I don't mean like that," Izumo said, irritated. Then he smiled, kind of evilly. "I mean do you like romantically? Would you like him to put his arms around you, and kiss you?"

Anna gave Izumo a very, very blank look.

And Izumo knew that meant that she thought he was being an idiot.

So, he smiled normally instead and patted her on the head. "Mikoto is alright with you being friends then?"

Anna's mouth twisted slightly, indicating that she was trying figure that out. Mikoto seemed to be more accepting of him, but...

"I think so," she murmured.

"I'm not," Mikoto cut in and walked a little in front of her, stopping only to say, "but she's old enough to choose her own friends."

Izumo looked at Anna and nodded, before taking her hand in his and leading her away. He knew she was thirteen now, and didn't need someone to hold her hand, but he liked to indulge himself sometimes. After all, he didn't get to see Anna as much or spend a lot of time with her, even here in Seneca. Anna didn't seem to mind either for she considered Izumo to be along the lines of a father or a big brother.

She did love him dearly.

Just as she loved Mikoto quite a lot too.

As for this Kei Junichi guy, Izumo didn't like him. The guy was too much like Tatara, and almost disturbingly so. Izumo had taught a few classes to the boy but he had never really paid much attention to him because he looked like just another student.

Yet, for some reason, when he was with Anna, Mikoto and Izumo, something in the boy's personality changed.

It almost seemed to _bloom_ into the characteristics of their deceased friend.

Maybe I'm being paranoid, Izumo decided as they made their way to Natsume's house. After all, if Mikoto accepted him then Izumo could as well. He trusted Mikoto and he did trust Anna. She was young, but she was not foolish at all. In fact she was more mature than everyone in Homra since she had joined nearly six years ago when she was only seven.

But this guy, Izumo thought as they continued walking, this guy lacked something.

"Heart," Izumo told Mikoto later when they were alone in the dining room. Anna had gone upstairs to sleep, having become weary with her cycle combined with a busy schedule.

"What are you talking about?" Mikoto asked as he ate some sugary concoction Chef had come up for him.

Izumo played around with a piece of chocolate cake on his plate.

"Kei Junichi-he doesn't have a heart like Tatara did. He tries to pretend that everything is alright, but I get the feeling that that kid has something bothering him, and whatever it is, it holds him back from being who or what he wants to be," Izumo answered. "or should be."

Mikoto nodded. He had felt as much.

"But I don't think he's a bad guy," Izumo continued.

"He's sick," Mikoto said and explained what Natsume had told him about his anemia and how bad it was as well as other details Natsume had given to him on his background with having an older brother and parents who worked abroad.

"You think maybe he's afraid he's going to die?" Izumo questioned.

"Maybe," Mikoto responded. Maybe, maybe not.

If anything, Mikoto was quite sure that sassy brat would live for quite long.

Whatever it was, it wasn't really their business anyway. They were only concerned due to him being close to Anna and having a semblance to their dead comrade, but it ended there.

Everyone had their secrets.

* * *

**A/N: Cigarettes are VERY bad for you. I do not advise you to try them. Don't worry about Mikoto though: I've never come across an anime character who died from smoking (they'll die from everything else except cigarettes), although you could. Ever seen seen someone with cancer? I have. It's not a pretty sight, so please, take are of yourself and if you smoke already please try to cut down or cut it out completely. **

******I was going to write about Mikoto's parents in this chapter but I changed my mind about adding in any background on them at all. If I put it in, it would be better suited for the sequel to this story. **

**Thanks so much for all the reviews, as well as those who follow and favorite this story. I appreciate it, and you all motivate and encourage me to keep on writing. Thank you again, I love you all and I apologize once more for not updating as I used to. **

**For all those who reviewed:**

**_sereneskydragonslayer: Hahaha no he doesn't seem to know how! Hope you liked this chapter :)_  
**

**_xNightDreamerx: Hm, I'll think about it! Sorry for the late update, but I hope you liked this chapter :)_**

**_nannerlovesnickers: I'm glad you did! And you're welcome about the review. Thanks for always reviewing mine...please write a Kyoko/Ren fanfic sometime soon. I want to read it! Your writing skills are really great. I had a Skip Beat fanfic that I had never gotten around to posting up. Unfortunately it's in my old computer whose microsoft word is like 8 years old...so I don't think I would ever be able to get it from the old computer:/ Glad you liked the fluff in the chapter :)_**

**_LindyLinn: *Highfive back* Christ is the way to go! It's actually 'Iwao' but that's alright-I know who you mean ;) It means a lot to me what you said about my development of Fushimi. Thank you so much :)_**

**_Indochine: Thanks for those lovely words about the chapter! From what I know, stuff like that really does happen in terms of people stealing other people's research. I know it happened to a particular woman for something in astronomy or was it DNA? I really can't remember and it was only after she had died that it was discovered that she was the one who had done the work and it had been stolen from her. I don't know if you might have idea about who or what I'm talking about (my mind's a bit rusty). I always try to tie in everything because the novel, radio dramas etc give insight on what the anime doesn't and I'm glad you like that part when Anna said that :) I think i should be the one to thank you: you're one of the people who has been reviewing since the first chapter I believe and you never hesitate to state your opinion when I ask for it and I appreciate that. Thank you, you and all my reviewers motivate me to keep on writing :) I have heard of Psycho-Pass. I always wanted to check it out but never got around to it. I think that the main protagonist is a female right? Based on your opinion, what do you think of her? Is she like one of those helpless females who everyone likes, or is she like this strong fearless woman? PS: the ending for K really did suck :/ Maybe season 2 would be better unless they decide to kill Reisi too. Maybe there's a bigger story to be told? Who knows...anyway, thanks again :)_**

**_Hodgeheg: Hope things have eased up for you! Glad you liked the flashbacks! I actually chose the name 'Orochi' when I went looking up Japanese names but Orochimaru did cross my mind when I chose that name :)_**

**_Little Weirdo: I'm glad you liked that chapter so much as well as the flashbacks! I know...I miss Tatara so much too :'( _**

**_Arius the Heretic: Or maybe if Anna was older then they could be together ;) Glad you're enjoying all the fluff :)_**

**_flower: I just needed to make sure because someone else had reviewed as a guest so I didn't want to mix you guys up :) Thank you for taking your time read and review, I appreciate so much :) God bless you too :)_**

**_D: I think the last chapter would have explained how and why he caught on :) Well, Mikoto isn't really acting that much differently at fourteen than he does in his twenties toward Anna based on the context of this story. But who knows? Maybe he might dismiss his thoughts of noticing Anna's prettiness and excuse it as himself being younger. _**

**_ladeste: I'm glad you liked those cute moments! Maybe Iwao is, maybe he isn't ;) After all, you still don't know what Chie's story is quite yet ;) It would probably Reisi to take out those snitches though because it's his clan that's responsible for the strains and where they were staying :P Thanks for reviewing and hope you liked this chapter :)_**

**_Mienchan-ish: I'm glad those fluffy moments relax you! Hope you enjoyed them in this chapter too :)_**

**_ishipatsugarde: Hi, thanks for your review :) I wouldn't go as far as to call it a love story between those two right right now. It's more on how their relationship grows because remember the story is about Anna's growing up. Hope that helps :)_**

**Thanks again for all the reviews, follows and favorites. I truly appreciate it.**

**Let me know your thoughts on this chapter, Iwao and Chie. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Have a great day, God bless :)**


	43. Chapstick

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_Rated 'T'_

_**A/N: There's an attempted rape scene in this chapter. It is not graphic at all, but I just wanted give a forewarning.**_

_****There is also a scene here that relates to the novel, so if you haven't read anything on the novel yet, it relates back to that in case you may not understand where it comes from.**_

_*****I think this is a very long chapter. **_

_*****Please note that the second part of the chapter alternates between Chie and Emi's point of views. I hope it's not confusing for you because it deals with three time periods: a few years ago, then an hour previously in present time, and then present time itself. **_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

**Chapter 43: Chapstick**

Anna awoke in the dark to a disturbing chill. She hated days like these: just when the weather was expected to take a warm turn, suddenly the mountains decided to take a freezing stance against the sun and keep it very cold.

Anna shivered under her blanket. It felt very much like those times when there was no snow in the Winter, yet it was so cold the air would have a bite to it, nipping at any piece of exposed flesh.

How Anna hated the mountains for its warped weather! It was springtime! They were supposed to be getting warmer and warmer, not colder and colder.

Well, complaining about the cold didn't make her toes any warmer.

Even with the thick blanket and the pile of pillows on her bed, Anna knew she needed to get a little heat.

Maybe another blanket would help but Anna didn't want another blanket.

She climbed out of bed, froze when she felt the chill but forced herself to move.

* * *

Mikoto's room was cold as well, for it seemed that Mikoto hadn't awakened yet to feel the uncomfortable chill that Anna was feeling. It was possible that that was simply because he had more body mass than her, added to the fact that his power had a heat base.

Her King was lying on his side, snuggled under the blankets. In the very dim light of the room, Anna saw him shiver slightly, then she heard him growl in his sleep like a lion before pulling the covers more tightly over himself.

She walked over to the bed and lifted the blanket a little. Trembling, she tossed Lion-O to the middle of the bed as she clambered onto it for it was a bit high.

As soon as she was on it, she turned to fix the covers around her and paused when she felt movements on the bed.

She glanced to Mikoto's side to see that he had turned in his sleep, sensing that someone was near and was reaching out with his hand to grab at whoever it was because he was too lazy to open his eyes.

His fingertips touched Lion-O and he snatched it up and hugged it tight to his chest before dragging the blankets around himself again, and away from Anna.

Then he turned rolled around with it until he formed a perfect caterpillar-looking lump.

Anna sat there, shivering in the cold, a little irritated with Mikoto. Now he had _both_ the blanket and Lion-O and was cozy and warm while she was freezing.

"M-Mikoto," she whispered and reached out to press her hands into that red hair of his that poked out from the top of the blanket roll he had made for himself.

He grunted, and almost amusingly, his head poked out more from the top and he turned his head with bleary eyes to look at her.

"What?" he asked gruffly.

"I'm cold," she replied softly.

He blinked a few times, trying to gather his surroundings. Then he unravelled some of the blanket from himself upon sight of her shivering features. He lifted the covers with his arm, revealing a warm spot right beside him. Her desire for heat drew her to him like a moth to a flame.

It was then that Mikoto noticed Lion-O squashed against him. As soon as he lifted the plushie away, Anna snuggled against him.

Mikoto didn't really understand why he had that hateful thing in his arms, all he knew was that he had been dreaming of Anna just now. He frowned. He'd never admit it, but the thing was soft and had not just his own scent on it, but Anna's as well. It wouldn't be surprising if he had used it as a substitute for his princess.

It wasn't the first time that had happened anyway.

"_Anna might get jealous if she saw how tightly you hugged her stuffed toy last night," Izumo cackled as he polished a glass._

_Mikoto shot him a dark glare. So what if Anna had left the thing here and not taken it to Seneca? So what if it was soft and reminded her of him?_

_As if reading his mind, Izumo continued, "Just as it reminds you of her, it reminds her of you. It's like...like your child,"_

_Mikoto blinked at Izumo, then her let out an irritated growl before slamming his fist into Izumo's head. _

"_Moron," Mikoto mumbled before walking off. That thing? His **child**? His and Anna's? **Unthinkable**. Stupid, childish and just damned **unthinkable**. _

Mikoto tossed the thing somewhere to the other side of the bed and wished it a fiery death in hell from someone else since he couldn't burn it himself.

Not if he wanted Anna to get upset with him.

It would make him feel really guilty to hurt her.

Even if it was over that stupid plushie.

And it was was probably _her_ child anyway.

Not his.

Mikoto covered her safely with the blanket and held her soft body close to his now, forgetting about the _ugly_ plushie (Mikoto was still upset with himself for hugging the thing like that that he used the most insulting names he could think of to describe it include 'ugly', 'stupid', 'non-living'. He eventually came to the conclusion that he was being childish and not only were those names not even _that_ insulting, the thing couldn't even understand it for it wasn't even alive!).

"Better?" Mikoto asked Anna.

Anna nodded, her cheek brushing against the material of his shirt. She was all warm and toasty now-Mikoto's body heat just melted away the coldness from the tips of her fingers to the tiny tips of her toes.

"It's always warm next to you," she told him and closed her eyes. Mikoto burrowed his nose into the top of her hair in response before closing his eyes as well.

In a few hours, they would have to wake up and get to school.

* * *

Kei made sure to dress warmly today. There had been reports of a possible cold frontier today and unfortunately, for once the weatherman was right. After the chill, it was expected to rain and then it would start getting warm again.

Kei opened the door to the clubroom, half expecting Akemi to be there, but instead he found Anna and Mikoto.

They were sitting side by side on the couch. Anna was looking at some schoolwork in a notebook while her handsome brother was looking at something in his PDA while sipping juice from a box. Lately whenever Kei saw the guy, he would have his mouth attached to the end of a straw, drinking juice.

Kei thought it was weird, but he didn't make anything of it. Maybe the guy just liked juice?

"Good morning," he greeted them with a smile.

Two pairs of eyes shot to him-one pair golden, the other grey.

Mikoto grunted while Anna gave a soft 'good morning'.

"Anna, where's Akemi?" Kei asked as he set down his bag on a nearby chair.

"I think she's with Hajime-san," Anna responded.

Kei frowned. Well, it was expected that she would be with her boyfriend. "I see," he murmured. Then, he stretched and let out a strange laugh. "Well, I'll go find her! We have things to discuss, you know!"

Then he hurried away.

"Your club will loose clients if no one is doing anything," Mikoto told her casually around his straw while keeping his eyes on the PDA's screen.

Anna glanced at him. "That may be true but because everyone is so busy with the play for tomorrow and the dance on friday, we haven't come across many clients,"

Mikoto grunted. He removed his mouth from the straw and grimaced a little.

Anna, sensing some discomfort on his part, glanced at him. "Mikoto?"

"Dry," he muttered and licked his lips.

She realized that the cold must have caused his lips to become a bit cracked.

She reached into her schoolbag which was set beside the couch and pulled out a small tube of chapstick. It was a raspberry-lemonade flavor.

She held it out to him.

He cocked an eyebrow. "You want me to put on lipstick?" he demanded.

Anna shook her head, but her eyes had a slight twinkle in them, as if she was amused.

"It's not lipstick. It will prevent your lips from cracking,"

Mikoto accepted it from her and turned it around in his fingers, observing it. Then he uncapped it and lifted it. He shut one eye as he peered at the opening of the chapstick with the other eye. Then, he lowered it and touched the bottom of the tube. Anna watched as he turned it the wrong way.

She calmly took it from him and turned it the correct way so that the chapstick pushed upward. She held it out to him again.

He gave it a funny look, then after stubbornly folding his arms, he said, "I'm not using that. It's girly!"

He was being rather childish. Anna was not surprised. After all, he was fourteen despite his memories and she had come to expect the behavior of his fourteen year old self rather than his twenty six year old self.

She sighed and touched the top of her chapstick with her finger, gently rubbing some onto it. Then, she reached out to a confused Mikoto and pressed that finger to his lower lip, gently rubbing the chapstick into the plump flesh.

Mikoto remained silent and let her do as she wanted.

Her eyes were narrowed very slightly as she concentrated on the task of using her fingertip to press into the chapped skin of his lips. She moved to the upper lip, and made sure that that the chapstick had been well rubbed into his lips to stop the chapping.

As soon as she drew back and recapped the tube, her own PDA began to make a noise, startling her. She reached into her schoolbag as Mikoto lightly touched the tip of his tongue to his lips, tasting the flavor.

It did taste like some kind of strange raspberry lemonade flavor. Anna had the tube on her lap and he snatched it away as she pulled out her phone. She had gotten a text message. Her mouth went into a taut line at it and she stood up.

Mikoto looked at her, wondering where she was going.

She bent and kissed his cheek quickly, her loosened white hair brushing his cheeks. "I'm going to meet Akemi. I'll be back soon," she promised and hurried away.

Mikoto lifted an eyebrow at that, then returned his attention to the chapstick in his hand. He was interested in this flavored greasy thing that stopped his lips from chapping. He uncapped it and sniffed it.

He was _quite_ interested.

* * *

Anna found Akemi sitting at the top of the stairs in the same building that was closest to the clubroom. The hallway that led to that staircase had the vending machine they normally used and because the clubroom was really the only room used for anything important on that floor, there wasn't anyone at the moment there.

Akemi was sitting with her arms around her knees and with her chin resting on the top of them.

"Akemi?" Anna said her friend's name, concerned.

It was the first time that Akemi had texted her and had asked her to meet her alone.

Akemi gave her a sad smile but Anna could see that her friend had been crying.

"What's wrong?" she asked her.

"Sit with me?" Akemi requested.

Anna nodded and sat beside her.

Akemi sighed quietly and Anna waited for her to speak. Anna sensed that this had something to do with Akemi's family and Anna fought hard to not let Akemi's thoughts intrude into her mind. She did not want to see Akemi's thoughts; she wanted to hear the words that her friend wanted her to hear.

"Have you ever heard of independent teenagers, Anna?"

Anna shook her head.

Akemi sniffed a little and Anna, uncertain about what to do, placed a hand on her friend's back.

"It's teenagers who live away from home. It's applied to Seneca because the High Schools here allow for teens as young as sixteen to live within the town itself and rent somewhere to live because they allow us to take on jobs during this time. In fact, they encourage us to take on jobs and learn what it is like to live on our money and not our parents',"

"Do students want that?" Anna questioned.

Akemi nodded. "Yes, many students want independence although its hard. Seneca is known for teaching kids how to value other things beside wealth. When a student becomes an independent teenager, they attend classes like normal, but they are given the opportunity to rent their own apartments in the town. The school monitors them though, and ensure that they are not slacking off in any kind of way. Many kids value independence by making money on their own. Others just want to get away from their parents control. Others...like me. To do that I need my dad's permission,"

"What happened?" Anna asked. She sensed Akemi had a fight with her dad and Anna was struggling to control her power which seemed to be snaking out of her mind like tentacles to grasp at the memories that were leaking out of Akemi's mind, and pull them toward Anna to make her see what was going on.

"I asked my dad to come to the play tomorrow. He doesn't want to. He says he has to sort out something in the witch's daughter's school. I'm his child, Anna! Yet he places that brat, who isn't even his own blood before me!" Akemi cried and then covered her face and began to sob.

Anna gently slid her arm around her friend and comforted her.

"I told him that and he got angry and said that he's not going to be there. I hung up on him, and I never want to speak to him! I want him to sign those papers so that I can be an independent teenager in High School and live on my own, take care of myself and not rely on him! Then I won't have to see him or that witch and her brat! I want to wrangle it so that I can get the independence by fifteen," Akemi was saying.

"But you said it's only allowed for sixteen," Anna pointed out.

"Yes, but I will be allowed to work at fifteen. When I'm sixteen he would be obligated to send me some money to support myself and that would be enough to get me off on my feet to living on my own, independently,"

Akemi had no problem with getting a small amount of money from her father to get her off her feet. In truth, she felt that he owed her that much as a parent who neglected his daughter for many years in favor of his new wife and her child.

"I see," Anna murmured.

Akemi turned to her friend and hugged her tightly. "Hey Anna," she whispered chokingly, "you've been through a lot. Do you know what this is like?"

Anna recalled her aunt and felt a wave of pain wash over her. She closed her eyes. "I do," she murmured.

"It's hard, isn't it?" Akemi continued.

Anna nodded. Anna had not thought of Honami in a while. Since starting school, making new friends and becoming closer to Mikoto, thoughts of her aunt had gradually started to lessen, but the reminder of how the woman had become so cold toward her, still had the ability to hurt her.

"Why is it that there are people out there who are your own flesh and blood, who can be so cruel, and yet sometimes there are people who aren't blood related to you who can be so kind?" Akemi continued.

"Because the world is full of people. Different kinds. Sometimes we're unlucky to be born among unkind people, who we can't live with. And when that happens...I think God sends us the good people to care for us," Anna responded. Yes, she thought so. She did have a loving family before, but even after they were taken away from her and Honami had become cold, the Red Clan had continued being kind and loving to her. They had become her family.

Akemi drew back from Anna. "Hey Anna, I consider you and Kei like my family," she told her.

Anna gave her a very tiny smile, startling Akemi because she didn't think she ever really saw her friend smile.

Anna placed a hand on the top of her head. "You're my family too,"

"And mine," came Kei's voice.

The two girls turned to see him standing at the bottom of the staircase. He hurried up to them and sat at the stair that was beside Akemi's foot.

Being taller than she was allowed him to lean into her so that they were face to face. He smiled at her, although he wasn't touching her and placed his hand beside Anna's on the top of her head.

"Akemi is my family too," he told her.

Akemi looked as though she wanted to cry again and Kei, still smiling, placed a fingertip on her nose before he lightly pinched it teasingly.

Akemi tried to push him away, but he laughed and hugged her. "Smile more, Akemi. You're prettiest when you smile,"

Akemi blushed deeply and didn't lift her head.

"Stupid Kei," she whispered and clung tightly to his shirt. "thank you."

Kei's arms tightened around her and she didn't try to run.

Sometimes Akemi felt that Kei was a bit fake with his smiles. But right now, she felt that he was being completely genuine.

Anna's smile softened and she removed her hand.

"I'll come back," she said, recalling that she had left Mikoto in the clubroom. She needed to make sure that he had no information on Iwao out that was easy for Kei or Akemi to see.

Kei nodded and Anna went, not before she saw the smile of gratitude on Akemi's face that she had sent Anna's way.

* * *

Mikoto had licked the chapstick off his lips. It tasted really nice! Normally he would use vaseline on his lips when they got cracked, but right now he liked this flavor of chapstick. Berry and lemony...he liked this.

But unfortunately, he ate it off too quickly from his mouth and there was only a little chunk of it left in the tube.

He turned the bottom of the tube so that the chapstick was pushed out more. He raised an eyebrow at it.

He lifted it to his mouth.

And bit it off from the tube.

* * *

Anna froze in the doorway. She she just saw Mikoto literally _eat_ the last bit of her chapstick. He turned to her, still chewing it as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Mikoto? You just...ate..my chapstick," she said hesitantly although her expression remained blank of any emotion save for the slight furrowing of her eyebrows.

Mikoto looked at her, still chewing as if he was chewing on gum, and shrugged. The greasy stuff coated the entire inside of his mouth and teeth and didn't seem to want to slide down his throat. Between chews he responded, "It finished too quickly on my lips so I ate it instead,"

Anna didn't know if her King was stupid or smart. In fact, she wanted to slap a palm to her face. Was Mikoto...really such an idiot?

Such an idiot that he could be considered smart?

"Doesn't taste as good though," Mikoto muttered as he continued chewing. He frowned and stopped chewing for a moment. "and now my entire mouth is greasy."

"Mikoto, chapstick is for chapped lips, not for eating," Anna informed him.

"Then why does it taste like that?" he asked, annoyed.

Anna walked up to him and sank into the couch beside him. She glanced around for anything on Mikoto might have around on Iwao but there wasn't any.

"So that more people would buy them," she responded.

Then she sighed. "My lips are chapped," she muttered. What was she going to use to prevent them from cracking?

Suddenly, Mikoto caught her arm.

She looked up at him and blinked.

Mikoto lowered his head to hers and without warning, his warm mouth pressed against hers.

Anna froze, for this was the first time she had been kissed on her lips.

By anyone!

The shock made her about to draw back, but both Mikoto's hands were holding onto her shoulders, forcing her to remain as she was.

His eyes were closed as he turned his face slightly so that his lips rubbed against hers. Anna, ever trusting of Mikoto, remained as she was and pressed her lips back at him, feeling the slight roughness of his lips from the earlier chapping, move upon her own.

Mikoto drew back slightly and opened his eyes. Anna did the same, her cheeks stained red. He looked at her almost clinically and then his mouth was on hers again, shocking her at the feel of his warm, soft lips against her own. She could feel and now taste the flavor of her chapstick that he had eaten.

He drew back slightly and pressed his nose against hers. He gently began to rub his mouth over her sensitive one so that the plump flesh of their lips stroked against each others lightly.

"W-What are you two doing?" came the flustered voice of Kei Junichi.

Mikoto removed his mouth from Anna's and glanced around at her friend. Mikoto sighed. "Chapstick," he replied and let Anna go, turning away to pick up his PDA again.

Anna touched her tender lips with her fingers. Chapstick? Yes, she could feel it. Her lips were well smeared with the chapstick that had remained on Mikoto's lips from when he had eaten it.

Kei didn't know what to make of that and he didn't know what Anna was thinking either. She seemed stunned and her expression was priceless. This was the first time he saw her so shocked: eyes wide, mouth slightly open, cheeks flushed red and everything on her face basically saying, 'I am shocked out of my mind'

"That was Anna's first kiss!" Kei protested. Then he frowned. "wasn't it?"

Mikoto glanced at Anna, then at Kei. "Second," he corrected him.

"Eh?"

"Second time," Mikoto responded.

"T-Then who kissed her the first time?"

"I did," Mikoto answered.

"You? When?"

"Just now," After all, Mikoto did kiss her once, then drew back and kissed her again.

Kei slapped a hand to his face. "You guys, isn't that incest?" he demanded.

"I don't know what you're saying. She needed chapstick. I gave it to her," Mikoto responded as he grabbed his back and put away his PDA inside of it.

"You kissed her!" Kei protested. Only yesterday he had told Akemi that it shouldn't be a big deal if Anna and Mikoto kissed, but his heart felt disturbed right now.

"I feel like I'm watching my daughter get married," Kei commented and folded his arms. Somehow he sounded older when he said that, and almost more mature but also a bit amusing.

Mikoto shot him a frown before slinging his bag over his shoulder and turning to Anna.

She was looking at him surprised, rather shyly. Mikoto lifted a hand and pressed his knuckles to her warm cheek. He frowned. He hadn't really been thinking when he had put his mouth on hers, he hadn't even thought of it as a kiss.

Not that he didn't enjoy kissing her.

Mikoto figured that he was going to regret a lot of things when he returned to his twenty six year old self, but right now at age fourteen, there was something that made him compelled to behave a certain way toward Anna.

A way that was a bit different than his older self.

Mikoto couldn't say that he knew everything about girls either, but there were certain things that he did know. "A girl's first kiss is important huh? Even for Anna?"

She nodded.

"Are you mad?"

Anna shook her head. She lifted her hands and pressed them against Mikoto's hand on her cheek. "I'm glad my first time...was with you, Mikoto,"

Kei felt like going, 'bleh' and rolling his eyes.

It was such a sickeningly sweet scene and even he found that 'first time' sounded a bit on the perverted side.

But then he figured that he just needed to get his mind out of the gutter. The two were in their early teens and they had just kissed. It was probably the first kiss for the two of them, and Mikoto seemed to not think much of it and Anna seemed to accept it.

Mikoto removed his hand and kissed Anna's cheek instead. "I didn't know how else to give you chapstick," he said.

Anna nodded, understanding. She could almost still feel his mouth against hers, and really and truly, she wanted to be kissed again by him.

Mikoto was pretty dense headed, she thought as her King walked to the door. After all, he unthinkingly kissed her as if it was normal and only afterward he realized he had done something that probably wasn't right, _meanwhile_ he somehow managed to treat their relationship like normal and made her feel as if nothing had changed.

In a way, Anna was glad that he did that because when he returned to his twenty six year old self, he wouldn't forgive himself if his actions had altered their relationship in some way so it was best to act as if everything was normal.

After Mikoto left, Anna pressed her palms to her cheeks and willed herself to return to normal. "You alright, Anna?" Kei asked her.

She looked at him, then nodded. "What happened to Akemi?"

Kei sighed. The very same words he had spoken to Anna upon the sight of her and Mikoto kissing had been uttered to him and Akemi:

"_What are you two doing?" came the voice of Hajime Fumio._

_Akemi had been snuggled deeply into Kei's slender arms, enjoying his warmth and comfort. Being so close to him made her feel calmer, eased her heart and made her feel well cared for. _

_Kei immediately let her go. _

"_Ah, Hajime-san. Think nothing of it. I was just comforting Akemi," Kei said and immediately stood up. _

_Akemi lifted her hand to reach out to him as he turned his back to go, but she knew that the words he had spoken to her the day before held an echo of truth: Hajime was her boyfriend and she needed to share her closeness with him and not with Kei, for Kei was her friend. _

_And now they were considering each other family._

* * *

Akemi studied Hajime's cold face. "Kei is like my family," she told him, then sighed, "something happened and he happened to be there, comforting me."

"Where was Anna? Why didn't you let her comfort you instead?"

"She was there, but she had to go for something,"

Hajime's expression did not change.

Akemi tried again. "I had an argument with my dad and-"

"I've told you before that you should listen and respect your father. All you ever do is disrespect him and treat him like he's nothing. If you argued, you were obviously wrong," Hajime told her dismissively. He sighed and held out his hand to her.

But Akemi slapped his hand away, stunning him.

"Akemi?" he said her name, surprised.

She returned a frosty look at him. "Have you ever heard the saying 'if you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all'?"

Hajime looked a bit confused. "Ah...not really,"

"Well you should take it to heart. Go to class without me," she ordered and stood up.

Hajime gazed at her seriously. "Is that what you want, Akemi?"

"Yes," she responded coolly.

Hajime turned away and walked away quietly.

Akemi knew she had to go to class as well, and quite soon too, but she had to give something to Anna. They both had separate classes this morning so Akemi would not be able to see Anna any time soon to give it to her.

As she turned, she saw Mikoto walking by.

"Ah...Mikoto-san, could you...give Anna something for me when you see her?"

Mikoto watched her blankly, but he didn't tell her 'no'.

Akemi pulled out a new tube of chapstick and handed it to him.

"Could you give this to her please? She had asked me to get one for her yesterday and I forgot to give it to her,"

Mikoto accepted it and Akemi hurried off.

He glanced at it and uncapped it. He sniffed it and watched the label.

Strawberry-watermelon was the flavor this time.

Well, at least he knew not to _eat_ it now. Mikoto frowned as he thought back on how he had just kissed her. In fact, he hadn't been thinking at all when he had pulled her toward him, only that her mouth was small and pretty and those pretty lips of hers shouldn't become dry and chapped due to the weather.

He did the only thing that came to mind by pressing his mouth on hers. That had been his intention, but when his lips touched hers, he hadn't wanted to remove them and then suddenly she was kissing him back.

He had moved back after finding some strength in himself to do so, but the way she looked, blushing, so pretty and shy made him kiss her again.

Mikoto sighed. He was only fourteen right?

He didn't know how he was going to feel when he returned to twenty six, but for now, he figured that he needed to start putting up some boundaries with himself around Anna-he had been watching too closely how beautiful she had come to be, how soft and silky her hair felt, how her eyes looked mystical with their tinted red haze, and how her figure was filling out.

He was going to return to normal soon and for that reason, he had to stop thinking like that of Anna.

* * *

Chie Izumi sat in the principal's office. The day before she had gone to see him but had been informed that she would have to make an appointment today to speak to him because he not been in the office when she had come by yesterday.

She now sat in a leather chair before her principal who sat behind his desk. Ryosuke was a very kind, very good looking man. He seemed mature, but she had heard rumors that he acted like a baby around his parents and argued constantly with them.

To Ryosuke's side stood Yuki Natsume, his mother.

She was a good woman, a kind woman. Stern but always knew what she was on about. She never treated her students as anyone less than herself and always brought herself down to their level to speak to them.

"Izumi-san, I'm sorry to call you in like this but it is of utmost importance that you speak to us about an important issue we're having right now,"

Chie frowned. "What is it?" she asked.

"It's about a certain teacher by the name of Iwao Orochi,"

Chie felt her heart freeze. She could almost swear it stopped.

Until it started pounding in her ears.

* * *

Thankfully, Anna had been good at not showing her emotions otherwise she would have remained blushing for the rest of the day. Mikoto may have treated the kiss like another affectionate gesture but it didn't mean that she felt the same way.

He had kissed her and it had been her very first kiss!

It had felt so nice to have his mouth move over hers.

It hadn't been something weird like with him shoving his tongue into her mouth the way she had once see Chitose do to Maria...but it had been very tentative and sweet between them. Anna really did want to be kissed like that again.

But she knew Mikoto wouldn't kiss her again and she knew that for his sake she shouldn't try to kiss him...at least not right away. He would have a huge burden of guilt upon his own head when he returned to his true age and Anna did not want him to feel that way.

Anna wondered what it would have really been like, had she and Mikoto not been born thirteen years apart.

She sighed and continued her journey to the building where her clubroom was.

Anna hadn't seen Yata at all since he had arrived in Seneca. From what she understood, he had begun spending quite a lot of time with a particular girl.

Yata now decided that he wanted to introduce Anna to her. So, on this cold afternoon, Anna waited downstairs for Yata to bring this particular girl by. He wanted Anna's opinion of her, because Anna was a girl as well, and Yata, caring for Anna like a sister, valued her opinion about the girl he liked.

As she stood waiting, she saw Yata waving to her with a broad smile on his face, and to his side was a shy looking, pretty girl.

As they drew closer, it just so happened that Iwao Orochi was passing by. He waved to Anna, but from his vantage, he did not see Yata or the girl, but the girl caught sight of him and froze. She immediately paled at the sight of the man and Anna noticed.

Yata only realized when she had stopped walking and the man had already wandered away.

Anna saw it then, unable to stop the girl's painful memories from being picked up by her power.

_Emi Kyou was in middle school. Only fourteen. The man, handsome, who all the girls had a crush on was smiling at her beautifully._

_He grabbed her arm. _

_Anna could feel nothing but fear in her, nothing but fright at what she was seeing._

_Something in the man's eyes made Emi scream out, but no one heard._

_No one seemed to care as the entire front of her uniform was ripped._

_She cried out._

_No one heard._

_The naked flesh that was revealed to the man made him lick his lips, and that face that was normally like angel's was now like that of a devil's. _

_Cruel. _

_So ready to hurt._

_Because he knew he could._

_He reached his hand out to touch her._

_She screamed again._

_She couldn't move._

_Only cry out._

_And then..._

_and then..._

Anna gasped when she felt herself pulled into a pair of familiar warm arms. Her breathing was erratic and the girl was on the ground, having fainted due to the utter terror of the memories that had been summoned up inside of her because of that man. Yata was beside the girl, demanded what was wrong.

"Anna?" Mikoto's voice spoke near to her ear. Her heart pounded in fear and she immediately turned around in Mikoto's arms, and fisted her hands into his shirt tightly. She could feel that girl's terror of what was happening and she now understood why there were certain things Mikoto did not want her exposed to and certain people he fought hard to keep her away from.

"Iwao...is not innocent," she whispered quietly.

Mikoto froze.

Yata had overheard her. He looked back from her and the girl on the ground before he let out a soft curse.

He picked up the girl into his arms, looking a bit older and more mature than his normally childish self.

"Take her upstairs," Mikoto responded as he held an arm around Anna while pulling out his PDA to make a call to Izumo and Natsume. He did not want to leave Anna right now with the way she was feeling by going after Iwao himself.

* * *

_There were times when Anna saw him look at her different. His eyes would have a strange look in them, and she could hear him say sometimes in his mind, 'When she grows up...if I can wait that long...'_

_Anna was not a child whose eyes were innocent to the sight of blood and death. _

_She was not a child innocent to the feel of being on the brink of death._

_But she was a child who did not understand that hungry look in his eyes that made her almost cringe in fear._

_She did not understand it, so she never mentioned it to anyone._

Now Anna understood what that look was.

"Anna," Mikoto said her name grimly as he gently caressed her cheek.

She was sitting in the clubroom. The girl, Emi Kyou, was lying down on the couch while Yata stooped beside her, concerned.

Natsume was standing behind the armrest of the couch with her hand on the girl's forehead.

"She's in a lot of shock. Anna, what did you see?"

"Iwao...was a teacher in her middle school. He tried to hurt her. He tore her clothes...he..." Anna's voice trailed off.

Mikoto held her hand and used his thumb to light stroke the palm of her hand, unthinkingly comforting her.

"What else did you see?" he gently encouraged her.

"Nothing else. She fainted and I couldn't pick up on anything else after that," Anna responded and she heard everyone else's thoughts as they said together, 'Thank God'

"We were speaking to the girl Fushimi had been investigating," Natsume began to tell them.

"_Why do you want to know about him from me?" Chie asked, stunned. _

"_Chie, you went to a middle school in the same district as this teacher. You quit your old High School to come here on a partial scholarship around the same time as he did even though it meant that you would have to repeat another grade. Why?"_

"_It must be a coincidence that I came to the same school someone who lived it the same area as me did," Chie pointed out._

"_That isn't right," Ryosuke stated. "our cameras have picked up on you following him around whenever you had free time. Almost like a stalker. Would you like to tell us why?"_

_Chie remained silent. "Maybe I'm obsessed with him,"_

_Natsume and Ryosuke looked at each other, then at her. _

"_You're good friends with Emi Kyou, aren't you?" _

_Chie immediately froze. _

"_What does she have to do with anything?" Chie demanded. _

"_Nothing at all. We just think that because she's your good friend, she might talk to us a little about your relationship with him,"_

_Chie's hands clenched into tight fists. "You can't...ask her..."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Because that's guy's a sick, perverted bastard!" she burst out._

_Natsume and Ryosuke remained silent for a moment and Chie immediately regretted her her words. _

"_You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she whispered._

"_Try us," Natsume challenged and Chie looked at her and realized that her former principal was not joking around in any way. She just might listen to her._

_So, Chie finally spilled the beans on what she had kept hidden and the only reason she had come to Seneca in the first place. _

"_He calls like a demon...an incubus. Spend enough time around him, no matter who you are and the desires in your heart will awaken if there's someone you're attracted to. He's almost like a cupid too...but a really evil one," Chie explained. _

_Natsume's eyebrows lifted. "You're talking about Iwao Orochi?"_

"_Back when we knew him, he was Isao Osamu and he was a substitute teacher in my Middle School...mine and Emi's,"_

* * *

**_A few years ago (Chie's POV):_**

Chie turned around as her best friend hurried over to her with a big smile on her face. Emi was the prettiest girl in their middle school with her curly reddish brown hair and the light sprinkle of freckles on her face.

But what made her cute was her personality; she was was fun and happy, so full of laughter! The Emi of Middle School was so full of life!

Unlike her High School self who had become so shy and hid behind a pair of glasses.

"There's a new teacher here, Chie! He's subbing for our homeroom teacher who took maternity leave!"

Chie allowed herself to be dragged away to their homeroom where, upon entering, there stood a young, good looking man with short black, spiky hair. He looked like he was fresh out of college or just finishing up.

He smiled at them and both girls could feel their hearts beating faster.

"Oh hello, you must be in my class. I am your new homeroom teacher, Isao-sensei and I will also be teaching you biology," he informed them.

Blushing, both girls nodded and he asked them to take their seats.

* * *

**_An hour ago (Chie's POV when she was being interrogated by Ryosuke and Natsume):_**

"He looked really different back then. His hair wasn't long, it wasn't in that brownish color. It was completely black and it wasn't as neat either. In fact, I think even his face was a little different, and one would have to think twice before they recognized him," Chie was saying.

"You think he had something done to change his appearance like a little plastic surgery?"

"Probably," Chie answered.

"Tell us more about him from when he was Isao," Natsume suggested.

"He started to take a liking to Emi. Anyone could see it and he charmed all the girls at school. It was an all girls' school so there weren't any boys to distract the girls from drooling over Isao and when he showed favoritism to Emi, she went in just one day, from being the most popular girl to the most hated girl in the entire school because girls are such _bullies_,"

* * *

**_A few years ago (Chie's POV):_**

There was trash on her desk, scratchings and markings that told her to stop kissing Isao's ass and that was only reason why Isao only paid attention to her.

"We have to report this!" Chie snapped.

Emi shook her head. She smiled at Chie, still sadly and told her, "They were my friends before. I don't want to get them into trouble,"

Chie grabbed Emi by the shirtfront. "Do friends so this? Shun you? Bully you? Toss water on you like they did yesterday so that you had to walk around with your bra showing through your uniform?!"

But Emi gently removed her friend's hand. "It's alright, Chie. It hurts, and I cry at home everyday but I can put up with this,"

Chie tsked in annoyance. "You should tell Isao-sensei to not show you so much favoritism because of the girls then,"

Emi nodded. "I will ask him,"

* * *

"What did Isao-sensei say, Emi?" Chie questioned that evening as she helped to remove some of the trash from Emi's desk.

"He said that he would speak to me about it this afternoon. I begged him to not let anyone know," Emi replied.

Chie nodded. She didn't like this one bit and believed that Emi should report it to the teachers, but Emi was probably afraid of being shunned even more by her peers. Chie had taken it upon herself to have a serious talk with her friend this afternoon about it because she firmly believed that a true friend would stand by her side and not contribute to bullying her.

In fact, Chie felt that ever since Isao-sensei came to the school, it just revealed how much the other girls really hated and envied Emi because she was so smart, outgoing and pretty.

"Do you want me to wait on you?"

Emi shook her head. "No, you go on ahead," Emi seemed to hesitate and Chie took note of them. Emi had an almost uncomfortable look on her face. Like she was unsure about something.

"Emi?"

"Ah...it's nothing," Emi answered with a big smile on her face. "You go on ahead, Chie. And thanks...for always being here for me."

Chie, touched by her friend's words, hugged her and Emi hugged her back. Emi was a beautiful person on the inside and she did not deserve what was happening to her in any kind of way. She deserved to be loved and well respected by her peers.

* * *

**_An hour ago (Chie's POV):_**

"She deserved every bit of happiness," Chie stated with vehemence and then continued, "I was half way home when something just didn't feel right. It was the way that Emi had looked that time...when she seemed so uncomfortable. So I hurried back to school...but it was too late,"

* * *

**_Presently (Emi's POV)_**

Emi swallowed hard. She could feel Yata's hand on hers, waiting patiently for her to speak. She was surprised that he was listening so intently, with such quietness for she had thought by now he would have burst out.

But Yata never ceased to amaze her. He was so full of brightness and light and she was attracted to that in him. He was stubborn, hard headed but such a wonderful person. She always felt...safe with him. It was because of him that she felt that she could start trusting people again. He was the first guy in many years who she willing found herself wanting to be closer to. Even more amazing to her was that when they had first begun talking, he, despite being her sensei and a world class well admired skateboarder, had been just as shy as she had been.

It had been...endearing.

And Yata Misaki was such a sweetheart.

She didn't think he would like being called a 'sweetheart' though. There were times when she told him things about how 'sweet' he was that he felt as though she made him sound a little less than masculine and he would have such a sourpuss expression on that she thought was so cute. Once she had even teased him about it and he had snapped, _"I am not cute!"_

And Emi had laughed. She hadn't laughed like that since Middle School...before _that_ guy.

Yata hadn't remained angry for long.

What was even better for her was the strange ease she had been able to have in interacting with him. Because there were such strict rules about bullying in the school, the other girls would not dare try anything to hurt her. Emi didn't trust the girls either, not after the events in Middle School-especially after _that_ incident.

_That _incident that changed her life.

Emi swallowed hard and gripped tightly onto Yata's hand.

She had opened her eyes only a few moments ago to find that she was in a room she had never been in before, but that Yata-sensei was at her side, holding her hand, pressing it gently against his face which was filled with worry. Nearby was Natsume Yuki-sensei and a short distance away was the girl Yata claimed was his cousin who he had wanted her to meet and beside her was a red haired teen who had his hand on the girl's shoulder. It crossed her mind that that might be the girl's boyfriend, but other thoughts intruded into Emi's head.

"He's here," Emi whispered.

Natsume nodded. "He's known as Isao Osamu to you, but here he's known as Iwao-sensei,"

Emi's grip on Yata's hand tightened and seemed to pale again.

Yata, lifted his hand and began to gently stroke her hair. He did it hesitantly at first because being Yata and his inexperience with girls, he was unsure. However, because he had seen Mikoto, Tatara and Izumo comfort Anna in a similar manner before by gently patting her hair or rubbing her back, he figured this might work too.

"Emi, we forced Chie-san to tell us the story. I need you to tell me what happened to you,"

Emi swallowed hard.

"There were three other students who accused him of the same thing but they couldn't convict him without evidence. Emi, I need you to tell me what happened so that I could use this to possibly stop this man. Do not be afraid. I am not here to judge you. I am here to listen to you,"

Listen. No one except Chie had listened that time. Now someone was going to.

Emi nodded.

Maybe now, they would be able to sort this out and get rid off that monster.

* * *

Mikoto caught Anna's arm and pulled her to her feet. Anna didn't need Mikoto to tell her that he felt that it would be better to give the girl some privacy to speak to Natsume about it. Not only that, he did not want Anna to pick up on anymore of her thoughts.

Anna allowed Mikoto to lead her outside, once he shut the door, he placed a hand on her head.

"What else did you see?" Mikoto asked.

Anna swallowed hard. She did not know how Mikoto knew, but somehow he just knew that something else bothered her.

"Mizuchi...looked at me the same way Iwao did to her," she answered quietly and she felt Mikoto's hand freeze on her hair. "I could hear his thoughts when he said something about waiting until I was older. I didn't know what he meant then...now I do,"

Mikoto cursed softly and thanked God silently as he drew Anna into his arms, holding her tightly, for the fact that they had gotten her away from that bastard.

"I also heard him sometimes say that he didn't think he could wait that long,"

Mikoto's grip on her tightened. So the bastard would have made her a King, but forced her to be his slave. That sick, twisted man.

* * *

**_A few years ago (Emi's POV)_**

Emi had seen Isao-sensei watch her in a strange way. There was a dark, cruel gleam in his eyes. There was something in him that wanted her for some reason but she didn't know what it was. She had seen older couples have a similar look when they gazed at each other like when she stayed out late with her parents at seasonal festivals...but theirs were different. There was love in those eyes mixed with that strange look they had.

But with Isao-sensei, she could feel only cruelty mixed in with that unrecognizable look in his eyes-no love at all and as she waited in the homeroom for him, she regretted staying back and not telling Chie to wait for her.

She decided that she would leave. She would apologize to the sensei tomorrow because everything in her instincts was telling her to run from him.

She got up and hurried to the door, immediately ready to go, but as soon as she touched the door, it slid open and there stood Isao-sensei.

He looked taller, domineering over the fourteen year old and she could see that cruelty in his eyes. He was the beast.

She was the prey and she instinctively took a step back.

"You know you're a very pretty girl. That's why your friends _hate_ you. That's why they bully you," Isao was saying with an evil smirk.

He reached out and touched Emi's hair but she tried to slap his hand away.

"Don't come near me," she whispered, trembling. Her entire body became engulfed in terror. Where was everyone else? Why was there no club activities today? Where were the cleaners?

Isao ignored her and his large hands gripped her.

She cried out and suddenly, she was shoved against the wall.

All she could see and feel next was the tearing of her clothing, the violation of her own body.

***His hands roamed her body, feeling touching and ignoring her as she squirmed to get away from him. Suddenly, his hands were grabbing at her underwear. She screamed again and suddenly, she felt as though she was yanked from somewhere as the door burst open.

* * *

**_Presently:_**

Emi's eyes were empty as she said those words. Yata was unsure if to hug her, if she wanted to be held by a male so he gently rubbed her back. She did not blink as tears came to her eyes.

"Chie told us that she found you in the classroom, alone except with a damaged ankle. There was a desk that had been kicked in and your clothes were intact, but she had spotted Iwao jumping out the window when she entered,"

Emu smiled grimly but her eyes remained empty. "Club activities had been dismissed that day. All permanent teachers had a meeting. When Chie found me, I told her what happened. I was freaked out and she saw that I was in so much terror that she knew that I was not lying. The teachers who had finished their meeting didn't believe us though. They had me do a medical exam but everything was intact. My clothes were intact. My virginity was intact," Chie explained. She swallowed hard, "even in my mind, he didn't reach as far as rape me, but he did assault me. The doctor said I must have hit my head on the desk somehow and imagined it. Everyone else thought I was crazy. The other girls came to hate me more because they thought I had deliberately set out to hurt Iwao-sensei. So the bullying escalated. Not even my parents stood by me. They thought about sending me to a mental institute," Emi's eyes turned to Yata.

"Do you think so too?"

Yata's rage had been boiling up inside of him. He lifted his hand and wiped one of her tears. She did not flinch away from him so he wiped the other one and suddenly she leaned her face into his hand and covered it with her own.

"I don't think so," he told her honestly and Emi sobbed quietly.

"Emi, how did you hurt yourself with the desk?"

"I don't really know. I think he must have really held me at some point and I kicked out at him and he moved out of the way so I hit the iron the desk instead. The damage hasn't been properly fixed so I can't partake in normal school activities,"

Natsume nodded.

"But he tried to attack you again, didn't he? And that's when he told you about his power,"

Emi nodded.

"It was two weeks later. I had been advised to transfer out of the school because I was hated by everyone-the students and the teachers who all fell for his charm but I had to wait for the transfer so until then, I attended school normally,"

Natsume spoke then, letting her know what Chie had told them:

"_It had been hard on her, having to bear with the bullying, teachers hating her...and having to see her attacker every single day, fooling and deceiving everyone," Chie told Natsume. "Then one day, Emi was waiting on me outside the school, close to where there was a small garden done by the horticulture club. Everyone had already gone home and Emi waited there because no one would come by and harass her. But Isao had kept an eye on her and he knew she would be there again, so he went after her. I found them there. She was cowering against the wall in fear. And do you know what he told her? He told her that he was special, that he had special power that could awaken one's desires. If you have feelings for someone, then just by him being around, he could awaken those feelings," _

_Thinking back, Natsume found that that had made sense: Seri, Reisi and Izumo were three people who took their work seriously and never slacked off. Yet, Izumo and Reisi willingly procrastinated for the sake of one woman until said woman got fed-up and Mikoto knocked some sense (literally) into Izumo. It was possible that this applied to Mikoto as well. Since he had started classes in Seneca, he had spent a lot of time in detention with Iwao/Isao and being fourteen years old, might have found an attractiveness in Anna that his normal twenty six year old self overlooked, leading to certain feelings for Anna to grow in his fourteen year old frame of mind. Anna, on the other hand, always had feelings for Mikoto that ran deeply. As for Fushimi Saruhiko and Yata Misaki, they had never actually come into close contact with Isao/Iwao. _

_"That was how he charmed everyone-his power allowed him the ability to make everyone like him on an extraordinary level because they liked him upon first sight of him and he could do it in such a way to make them obsessed with him. But his power only works if you like him. When Emi had seen him look at her that way, she had become frightened of him and had no longer liked him. But he **wanted** that," Chie spat. "he got fed up of girls falling into his arms so he went after Emi who resisted. But his power didn't end there-he had vision that he called 'sight beyong sight' that allowed him to see far distances,"_

_Natsume and Ryosuke knew that much, but Chie continued, explaining what they did not know but made them understand why there was no physical evidence of his attacks, "and he had one final ability that he said made him unlike most people. His 'sight beyond sight' power let him see into people's mind, and he can even control that world inside of them once he's present in there and give them certain dreams. He's a monster alright, at least that's what I think, because he forced his thoughts into Emi's mind and made her think it was real when he raped her. Everything she **felt** was real. Even though there's no physical evidence, what he did is **real** to her because she felt everything she would have felt in the real world,"_

* * *

Mikoto let Anna go. "I need to speak to Natsume-san about something. Wait here for me," he ordered her. Anna nodded and Mikoto opened the door.

He opened the door just in time to hear the last part about what Iwao/Isao's powers really were based on the story Chie Izumi had told Natsume Yuki who was reiterating it to Yata and Emi.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside Anna waited for Mikoto and was surprised to see Kei huffing as he arrived at the top of the staircase, dressed in medieval clothing.

"Anna...have you seen Akemi?"

"Kei, why are you running around like that for?" Anna demanded, knowing full well the severity of his anemia.

"It's Akemi, Anna. She's never late for rehearsal and she was supposed to come by here about a half hour ago and-"

Anna immediately perked up. She blinked. "A half hour ago?"

For the first time, Kei saw that Anna was looking a little panicked.

However, she composed herself quickly. "Kei, tell Mikoto. I will find her,"

"Anna?"

Anna hurried away quickly. Kei wanted to go after him, but he felt very light headed. And where the heck was Mikoto anyway? In the clubroom?

Kei slumped to the floor. He was out of energy and was close to passing out.

* * *

**_An hour ago (Chie's POV)_**

"It's unbelievable, but that's what happened. This time when Isao approached Emi, another teacher overheard him as he was standing near the window. This time _I_ was there as well. The teacher did not hear the part about his power but he did see him start threatening Emi and telling her that he was going to do it again.

That teacher stuck his head out the window and demanded answers, but Isao let Emi go, ran past me and rushed away and for that he ended up leaving the school before he could be properly convicted of anything. But Emi was still bullied because everyone still thought that she was the one who was wrong because there was still no evidence to convict him. Who was going to believe us when we said that he had special powers?

But Emi tried to kill herself. Her parents were frightened for her so they moved her away," Chie's eyes were dripping with tears now. "my best friend had to put up with all this without a single person supporting her while that man left without a scratch on him! Is that fair? He ruined her! Emi hasn't been the same ever since. She's afraid of people and she came to Seneca on a scholarship, hoping to change her life. Everything was going fine while I made it my business to track down Isao Osamu. I found old records stating his previous living arrangements and that became my new goal in life; to find out more about him until I tracked him down. Isao Osamu is a fake name. His real name _was_ Iwao Orochi. I dug around where his old apartment was. I did crazy things like dig through his trash because the police didn't seem to care.

I traced him to a new district in the same city and I transferred to a nearby school. I always thought it was weird and I had even seen him a couple of times in the neighborhood where Emi and I lived, but by then she had already come to Seneca. It's like he was looking for her, and had developed an _obsession_ with him. I saw him one day when I was hanging around close to his new school and I asked some of the students about him. I learned that he now used his real name and that he was the lab assistant there. He lived life on happily. Then he suddenly disappeared. I dug around, but got nothing. Then one day, Emi called me and she told me that a friend of hers worked closely with the Seneca Board and that a new teacher was going to be transferring soon. His name was Iwao Orochi. I knew then that it was him. He's stalking her,"

Natsume nodded. She understood now what was going on, after piecing together all the information she finally wheedled out of the Gold King, Chie's story, the story from the Board of Researchers as well as the story from Iwao himself.

She got the entire picture now. Now they just has to deal with Iwao.

Natsume's PDA rang. "Who? Emi? Where? I'm on my way. I'll have Ryosuke tell the Blues,"

Chie perked up at the name 'Emi'.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

"Chie, I want you to go back to class and say nothing. I will call you as soon as I can," Natsume Yuki informed her.

"But-"

"Do as she says," Ryosuke ordered in a very cold voice, surprising Chie.

* * *

Kei managed to regain his breath and was ready to go get Mikoto just as door burst open. There stood a pissed off looking guy as well as Mikoto-san.

Mikoto saw Kei and for the first time, Kei saw a flash worry on his face. "Where's Anna?" he demanded. He took note of the boy's condition.

Definitely anemia.

"I came looking for Akemi who was supposed to be here a half hour ago. When I told Anna that, she looked a but frightened and hurried off to find her,"

Mikoto and Yata looked at each other.

"Shit!" Yata cursed.

Anna was in danger too with that '_sight beyond sight_' power that the man had.

* * *

Akemi took a step backward when she saw the man standing before her. She was dressed in a beautiful flowing white dress that was also in a medieval style. She had meant to show Anna, to hear her friend's opinion when this guy, this _sensei_ had approached her and had asked her to help him with something.

She had obediently followed, not thinking it was a little strange to ask a student this while she was dressed in such a manner.

Now this man looked at her, this so-called sensei. He was good looking, but there was this cruel look in his eyes...a look that made her think that he just wanted to eat her up. She shivered in fear. No, she thought, frightened for her life as he took another step toward her in the darkened room. This man was going to hurt her.

She just knew it.

* * *

**A/N: ****16th/April/2013: I edited some of this chapter for it to be that Emi was not raped, but she was sexually assaulted by Iwao. I just couldn't bear to put her in a situation like that so I edited the chapter. where you see three stars within the chapter in one of Emi's POV is where it changed. **

**So...first off, did you expect the kiss between Mikoto and Anna? I know previous chapters would have hinted at it maybe happening, but it never did. So were you caught off-guard?**

**Also, there's still a bit more to Iwao's story so I'll explain that in the next chapter and hopefully what really happened when he was working as a lab assistant. **

**And's he's guilty. Of a lot of things. I personally feel sorry for Emi :( Really, really sorry for her :/**

**And Anna's putting herself in danger again.**

**I know this was a really long chapter and I had wondered if to split it, but I decided not to. I know it's a lot of stuff with a lot of unexpected turns, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. **

******The part from the novel is the mention of Mizuchi. He isn't actually mentioned as a having some kind of sexual attraction to Anna in any kind of way in the novel, but the way he was described if I remember correctly, seemed like he was a total weirdo. You can search around on tumblr for some of the translations. **

********It was mentioned in the chapter with Lion-O's first appearance that he was named after the character Lion-O from Thundercats. Ironically, 'sight beyond sight' is a tagline from Thundercats which Lion-O often uses. The part with Mikoto hugging Lion-O relates to Chapter 30 when Anna had to leave him in Homra because Mikoto had hugged him in his sleep and used him as a substitute for Anna. **

**********Its been a while since I updated so quickly! I'm proud of myself. I would like to post up the next chapter soon as well, but I can't make promises. Hope you look forward to it though.**

************Thank you all of you who show me support for Emi and Chie. That means a lot to me, considering that they are OCs. Thank you so, so much. **

**For everyone who followed, favorited and reviewed the story, thank you. I appreciate it and you all motivate me to continue writing. I love you all :)**

**For all those who reviewed:**

_**sereneskydragonslayer: So it seems! I'm glad you seem to like it :)**_

_**Indochine: Thank you so much for always saying that, I always, always appreciate it! And I'm happy that you like Chef! I had actually written the scene a little differently at first with the icing, but then I was like, 'wait, no. This just doesn't sound right' so I changed it so it wouldn't be perverted at all. I'm glad it came across as just sweet! Smoke gets me really sick too. I think only anime characters get away with looking cool when they smoke. When I see a guy smoking in real life, it just becomes the ultimate turn-off for me. I'm really glad your dad stopped and it was really brave of you to break his cigarettes and threaten to go on vacations. It worked and that's important. I used to smoke at one point in time as well, but it was enough for me realize that I didn't like it, it was bad for me, and I needed to stop before it became a habit. Yes, let's hope Haru stops! Yep, Mikoto was definitely mean, but he turned her off from cigarettes for life ;) I'll trust your opinion on Psycho-Pass and have a look at it. I already checked out how the characters look, and they seem really well drawn with decent colors. I've heard of Durarara and Katekyo Hitman Reborn before but I've never really checked them out. I used to follow Naruto and Bleach, but I got fed-up of the long dragging manga and the irritating filler episodes. Not that they're not awesome-they are. It's just that I followed them for years and got fed-up. The only one I keep up with is a shoujo called Skip Beat. You would probably know it, and that's because it's so funny and the main character is so anti-shoujo. Another really awesome manga by the same author of Skip Beat is Tokyo Crazy Paradise. Has a bit of everything in it :) I will take your opinion on those animes though, and have a look at them :) Thanks so much for your review and the suggestions, and you take care as well :)**_

_**xNightDreamerx: Lol, it definitely is supposed to! I really like pocky though. I haven't had it in a while though :/ I'm really happy to hear you liked the development between Fushimi and Chie. That means a lot to me :)**_

_**LindyLinn: He finally got her to stop :) Glad you liked the fluff! Kei's sickness is severe anemia which is so bad it could lead to heart failure so he normally ends up getting monitored by the medical staff at Seneca and excused from PE. I mentioned it a while back in Chapter 26. It's been a while since I mentioned it though. And now you know what happened with Iwao and Chie, or rather Iwao and Emi. Hope that helps :) **_

_**D: Now Mikoto does have something to regret! I've never seen or heard of Spiral: Bonds of Reasoning so I can't tell you if it would end like that...and no, Kei isn't a clone of Tatara. **_

_**Arius the Heretic: Aww...don't get depressed! The sequel is just a continuation of this with just a higher rating! You're right about the love triangle though. It is a bit finished. You aren't rude in saying that at all because it is funny! AND you are definitely right about how the reactions of the other Homra members would be to him having a girlfriend! I hadn't really intended to bring Emi into the sequel, but you made an awesome suggestion so I must find some way to add it in :)**_

_**creativeactive: Aw...thanks so much! God bless you :)**_

_**Little Weirdo: Well, there was a little touch of romance in this chapter, but hope you still liked the fluffiness! :)**_

_**Miechan-ish: Yep, pocky!**_

_**Hodgeheg: Aw...I'm sorry to hear that. I still hope you get some time for yourself to relax a bit. I'm glad you liked the way Anna looked at Izumo and Mikoto's lungs will definitely survive. At least in this story ;) And you were right about Orochi not telling the whole truth! The next chapter should explain a bit more :)**_

_**lilkitty: Aw...I'm so sorry I didn't put in more ChiexFushimi moments! Next chapter, I will try to :) Thanks so much for those wonderful words, they were a true compliment! Thank you!**_

_**SpiritedQueen: Thank you so, so much for those lovely words! I truly appreciate them :) Well, this chapter did have a little romance between those two :)**_

_**nannerlovessnickers: Thank you so much! Ren and Kyoko probably are a bit difficult to put into character especially, considering all the characters they already portray in their roles as actors. But I believe that you can do it because you are an awesome writer! I look forward to your fanfic, and don't worry, you'll figure something out for the plot :)**_

**Thanks again, and thanks so much for reading.**

**Let me know your thoughts on this chapter.**

**God bless :)**


	44. Iwao's Lack of Will

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_Rated 'T'_

**_***A/N: I edited the plot a little bit from the last chapter so that it wouldn't be that Emi was raped. I just couldn't bear to have it like that. She was assaulted, not having reached as far as being raped. I felt that the plot was becoming a little to dark for me, and I didn't like that. That kind of twisted thinking just isn't me. Anyway, I tried to lighten it up a bit (it's still a bit dark) and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. _**

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

**Chapter 44: Iwao's Lack of Will**

Chie gasped as someone grabbed her shoulder. She glanced around to see it was Fushimi. "Fushimi-san, what are you doing?"

"Where are you going?" Fushimi demanded. He seemed to be more serious with her than usual. Normally he would have this underlying smirk when he spoke to her, but right now he was rather stern. There was no sarcasm in him that she could detect at all.

"I'm looking for Emi," she responded.

"I was told to let you know that your friend has taken ill and will be at home," Fushimi informed her.

Chie narrowed her eyes. "Why were _you_ told?"

"Because I'm the Vice President of the Disciplinary Committee. I'm technically your right hand man,"

Chie snorted. "You haven't helped do a single thing since you became the VP,"

Fushimi gave her a lopsided frown. "Well, to be fair it hasn't been very long. Not even two weeks,"

"And you've done nothing," Chie snapped.

"Whatever. You were told to return to your dorm anyway. The weather took an unexpected warm turn around mid-morning and now it's gathering into a potential rainstorm,"

Fushimi was honest about that part.

"Something's happened to Emi," Chie stated.

"Nothing's happened at all," Fushimi assured her.

Chie gave Fushimi a long hard look. "Who are you really, Saruhiko Fushimi?"

Fushimi cocked an eyebrow at her and then placed a hand on his hip. "What do you mean 'who am I'?"

"We don't get transfers in here for senior year. And you've got a weird relationship with Yatagarasu. In fact, why is _he_ of all people here? I know the runnings of the school and while other kids might be fooled simply because this is a school for rich kids, I know for a fact that an assistant coach wasn't necessary, even if he is very athletic. And you were spying on me while I was spying on Iwao. Who are you and what do you want?" Chie demanded.

Fushimi sighed. Then he tsked. "Girls like you are so _bothersome_,"

"Guys like you are so annoying," Chie shot back. She wanted to grab Fushimi and shake the very life out of him for evading her questions but she was so worried about her friend!

"Emi Kyou is just fine, Chie-san," Fushimi assured her again.

Carefully, Chie questioned then, "What about Iwao?"

Fushimi was silent. But Chie continued slowly, "Fushimi-san, if there was someone who hurt someone you loved in a very brutal manner and there was no one who believed that she was hurt, no one listened and no one cared except you, what would you do?"

Fushimi watched the serious expression on the pretty girl's face. Well, to this day if anyone harmed Yata and got away with it, Fushimi himself would chase them down.

He had hurt people before who had tried to hurt Yata and he would do the same thing today, even if half his heart resented him.

His phone rang suddenly and he picked it up. "Fushimi...what? Anna?! Okay, I'm on my way," He muttered a curse as he hung up, then he looked at Chie. "Hey, can you fight?"

"Yes. I trained in judo,"

"Can you move fast?"

"Yeah,"

"Come on then,"

He grabbed Chie's arm before she could stop him and suddenly she was forced to run through the halls of the school.

Fushimi received a call from his Captain then.

"They can't locate them? What? Yes, I think I do. Where's Yuki Natsume? I'm closer to Ryosuke-san's office so I think I can access the system from there,"

Chie looked around at Fushimi.

"Where are we going?"

"To locate your enemy," he responded and headed to Ryosuke's office.

* * *

"Why can't we find them?" Izumo demanded. He had just received word that Anna had rashly ran out to find her friend who seemed to have been abducted by Iwao. Not only that, the surveillance cameras were not picking up anything at all, which was strange because the high-tech security in Seneca allowed for the cameras to pick up on practically every nook and cranny of the schools.

It seemed that somehow, the cameras just abruptly stopped picking up on Iwao.

Seri, to his side, was also concerned. They had been dashing around the schools, searching around for Iwao, Anna and Akemi but there was no sign of them yet, and rain clouds had been begun to gather, very dark rainclouds.

* * *

Yuki Natsume was close to throwing a fit in the clubroom. Emi was with her, concerned as well for from what she had picked up from the principal's conversations on the phone was that two girls were in danger of Iwao.

Kei, sitting in a chair was also very worried. His two dearest friends who he had established as family, just today itself, were in danger and his body was too weak to do anything about it. He cursed himself for he felt as though he was letting them down.

He did not really know what was going on, only that it was possible that one of the new teachers in the Middle School had kidnapped Akemi and that Anna was in danger as well because she had gone after her. Somehow, some of the other new teachers, that guy Yatagarasu, another student from the High School were also related to this. He didn't know how.

"Bastard knows how to use high-tech equipment, he did something to my cameras," Yuki Natsume was muttering as she bit her nail.

She could not forgive herself for letting this happen!

She received a call. It was from Saruhiko Fushimi who was the whiz tech. Always good with computers and could expertly hack almost anything.

"Are your cameras are locked onto a main security system?" he asked her.

"Yes, why?" she questioned.

"It's possible that he may have hacked into the system and is showing you something else. I'll try to figure it out but I need some passwords from you,"

"Alright, fine."

She gave him what he requested.

* * *

Fushimi ran through the images of the security cameras and he quickly realized what the problem was when he saw the same person walk in the sam direction twice. Then he spoke to Natsume again. Chie and Ryosuke were looking at him keenly. "He took the video images from this morning and played them back. That's what you're seeing,"

"Can you stop it and have my cameras working normally again?"

"I can," he affirmed.

There was a large built-in screen in the wall and on it was spilt into several smaller screens, each of which were showing different parts of the different schools.

As he tapped the main keyboard at Ryosuke's desk, the images began to flicker and change and suddenly, the images were showing what was currently happening.

"Okay, they're normal,"

"Locate Iwao and the girls!" Natsume ordered.

Chie, Ryosuke and Fushimi looked at the different screens, searching for the right one. Within seconds, Chie pointed to a particular screen.

"He's there,"

* * *

A long time ago, Iwao Orochi had discovered his powers accidentally due to various encounters he had with women, many of who were older than him. Both he and the other party would swear that they had sex, but there was never any evidence. Later on, he realized that somehow he could get into their minds and controlled everything at his will.

Or using his 'sight beyond sight' power which allowed him to enter their minds as he stood from a distance away. As long as they locked gazes, it would be fine. He had also learned of the effect he had on people-to awaken in their hearts their desires. That was why love and romance seemed to bloom around him wherever he went. And if love and romance didn't bloom for between certain people, these people would fall for Iwao instead and almost become obsessed with him as long as he turned on the right charm.

Moving around in the right circles had eventually led him to realize that he was a strain and he had registered as a strain with Scepter 4, but only under the power that he could see things more closely than others could. Iwao had a feeling that these guys would try to get into his mind if they knew about his other powers. He was also a really intelligent guy which allowed him to skip a couple of grades and interact with older people.

Iwao hadn't always been a bad guy. He did everything legally, never forcefully took anyone. But then one day he happened to be passing through a certain city and there he saw a lovely girl. She was bright and innocent and young.

Iwao's share of ladies tended to be older women in their thirties or forties. Women his own age hadn't fascinated him, but here was this young girl who looked like someone he just wanted to _taint_. He couldn't explain his devilish desire.

In one moment, he had gone from one extreme to another suddenly he just wanted to have that girl.

But it wasn't going to be easy at all.

He planned it through and got into her school using a different name. After all, relations with a minor could damage his reputation and he knew he had the ability to become prestigious researcher.

A change of name would throw people off in case they found out.

He had hoped that when he entered the school, the girl, Emi, would fall for him and he could coax her into sleeping with him.

Unfortunately, he had made the mistake of showing his naked desire on his face which scared her for she was so young and innocent and he just wanted to _mar_ that innocence.

And when he had gotten hold of her, and she had resisted, he found that he had enjoyed it.

He _could_ have stopped.

He _should_ have stopped.

But he didn't. Not even when she threw a fit and pushed away from him, hooking a metal chair with her foot, damaging it.

Did he simply think of Emi as a toy, a tool, something to abuse?

Not really.

In his heart, he knew what he had been doing was wrong. He should have waited a few years for her to grow up a little before he made a move on her.

But he didn't have the _will_ to do so. He didn't understand himself, all he knew was that it seemed that the more he used his power, the more he lost control over himself. Especially where this girl was concerned.

It was lust, pure lust that drove him on and he did not have the power to fight himself.

In fact, he had been glad that Chie had barged into the room that time. It had stopped him from hurting the innocent girl anymore. He had probably scarred her for life, but at least he hadn't completely destroyed her by raping her mind.

However, that desire in him did not die. He was loosing control of himself and he knew it and he went after her again.

She was like a piece of raw meat that was tossed out and, he, the starving hyena who could not stop himself from trailing after her.

She was his food. He wanted to consume her, for his desire had consumed him.

Fate was against him that time, and a teacher caught him. He knew he had to leave before anything else happened.

He wasn't dumb enough to take anymore risks against this girl and this act of nearly getting caught somehow gave him some of his will power back.

But he had never forgotten Emi. He had wanted to. Try as he might, he couldn't and she remained on his mind and with each passing day she became an obsession.

And when he had gotten out of the asylum, he had made it his business to find out more about her so that he could after her and taste her young flesh again. Good thing Hina knew a thing or two about Seneca. At least he had some inside info on how to be careful when he finally got there.

This time, he would take her for himself and keep her with him. Maybe he even loved her. A psychotic, obsessive kind of love that he knew he shouldn't have.

* * *

But this girl who was currently cowering on the floor looked awfully delicious. She had foreign blood in her with her thick blond hair and beautiful blue eyes. She had innocence as well and although he wanted Emi Kyou, his desires had driven him to find someone else who could satisfy him until he got to Emi again.

No matter the risk, it was not a big deal. He could always threaten this girl into silence and Yuki Natsume would never know what happened to her student.

He reached out to touch the girl, but she got up and ran.

She was quick, Iwao could give her that, but Iwao was taller and faster, so when she ran to go to the door, he grabbed her arm and threw her into the chairs, forcing her to cry out as her hip connected with an iron desk and she rolled to the side and fell on a chair, damaging her elbow.

She looked up at him again with those wide blue eyes as he approached her.

He smirked at her.

Akemi was so terrified that she screamed.

He laughed. Now was the chance, he could get into her mind now and-

Something whacked him in the back of his head. It fell to the floor with a clack. Iwao turned around and rubbed his head lightly and glancing down, he saw that it was a small red glass ball. A marble. He ducked again when he saw two more coming at him.

He expected them to fly across the room but instead they made a turn in midair and attacked him again, making him gasp out and duck.

He threw himself on the floor and heard the other girl cry out, "Anna!"

Glancing up, he saw in the doorway stood a familiar looking girl with long, long white hair and large, dark eyes.

She was cold, expressionless, almost like a doll.

Iwao felt that he would enjoy wiping the expression off her face.

When she came at him again, he caught up a desk in his hands and threw it at her.

Anna, thankfully had martial arts training and jumped out of the way, did a proper roll and landed in perfect form away from the desk that had crashed into the wall.

However, that distracted her long enough for Iwao to grab hold of her marbles, drop them to his feet and slam his foot into them, crushing them into red dust.

He smirked.

Anna stood up and he walked over to her. Anna stepped back, but she found that she had hit the wall behind her.

Still, her expression didn't change. Even with the disgusting man standing tall before her.

"You're the Red King's so called sister, aren't you? You're Suoh Mikoto's princess who could have been the next Blue King," he said.

Akemi moaned slightly. She heard what Iwao was saying and she didn't understand at all. Not that she really cared to understand for her friend was in trouble and she wanted to help her, but her hip and her arms were damaged from when she had been thrown.

"You hurt my friend," Anna stated.

He shrugged. "I didn't want to bruise her. But she ran," Then he grinned, looking very ugly then. "You're going to be my collateral to get out of here, princess. No one would dare to touch the Red clan's princess-if I have you as a hostage, no one will hurt me."

He reached for her.

And Anna, using the perfected technique of a front kick, kicked him between the legs.

* * *

"_A man's pride is his balls," Kei informed Anna and Akemi in a very solemn voice. Both girls turned to him and blinked in unision. He grinned widely. "His balls, you know, those-"_

_He was rewarded with a kick in the shin from Akemi. "Damn it, you bitch!"_

"_Next time you start talking like that I'll **kick** you in the balls instead!"_

_Kei paled. "Oh God, no! Not that!"_

But that wasn't the only memory of her learning of the sensitivity of 'that part'.

"_What's the matter with Chitose?" Anna asked Dewa as she sat at the bar drinking juice. _

_Chitose was on the ground in the middle of the bar, crouched in a fetal position with his hands between his legs and a painful expression on his face. _

_Dewa smiled uncomfortably. "He was flirting around and the girl he slept with last night caught him. She kicked him there,"_

"_Where's there?" Anna asked. _

"_Between his legs," Tatara answered shamelessly beside her. _

"_Hey, what are you telling Anna?" Izumo demanded, nearly dropping his glass. _

"_The truth," Tatara answered. _

"_If you kick someone between the legs, it will hurt?" Anna asked curiously. At the same time, Mikoto strode in from a nap and sat down in the chair beside hers. _

"_For men it will. A guy could be huge and powerful, but if he gets kicked there, it will hurt," Tatara assured her. _

"_Even Mikoto?"_

_Mikoto choked on his water at her innocent question. He grabbed Tatara by the top of his head and shook him. "What the hell are you telling her?!"_

* * *

Tatara's response at that time had been an uncomfortable laugh, but it seemed to be true about it hurting for any guy because Iwao was clutching his hands between his legs and gasping painfully.

Iwao called her a very bad name before he managed to reach out and grab her by the neck.

"I wasn't planning on hurting you in any way because the Red King's a fearsome guy...but I changed my mind you stupid little bitch,"

Anna's eyes had met Iwao's evil looking ones and it was then that she was pulled into an unconscious world where he could control the surroundings.

She looked around her, blinking.

Then she saw Iwao standing before her and he had that same look in his eyes as Mizuchi did those many years ago. Akemi was nowhere in sight. Anna understood what was happening then. Having shared many dreams with Mikoto she knew when to recognize a separate existence in her psyche.

"So your power isn't just to see things from a long distance," Anna stated plainly.

Iwao chuckled. "I can see into your mind as well, and create the illusion of the place I want it to be. I control what happens in the illusion. You could say that I'm giving you a special dream,"

"Ah, I see," she murmured.

Iwao frowned. "Aren't you afraid?"

Anna titled her head to he side. "Should I be?"

"You are. I can feel it in here. There's pounding around me and it's your heart that's resounding in here," Iwao said and Anna realized that had he not called attention to it, she wouldn't have heard the loud beating of her own heart, echoing throughout the illusive scenery Iwao had created.

"You know, I don't want to be like this," he confided.

Anna blinked at him. "You don't?" she repeated.

"I don't. My power feeds my lust and the more I use it, the more I can't stop and the more I loose my will. I can look at you and know that you're an innocent child, that the Red King would kill me for hurting you but I can't stop myself. I hate it," he added, angry. Then he smiled, "and a the same time I _love_ it."

He approached her, but it seemed that he couldn't step forward.

"Why can't I?" he muttered to himself. He glared at her then. "you...you have other powers, don't you?"

Anna said nothing to him but Iwao chuckled lowly. "No matter, I will get to you anyway. I can break _anyone_,"

He moved forward again and he was able to take a step toward Anna, but as soon as his foot touched the ground, it was engulfed in flames, making him scream out.

"What the hell? What are you doing?!" he cried out and suddenly, flames were engulfing his other foot.

"Mikoto," Anna said her precious person's name and a full figured twenty six year old Mikoto Suoh appeared behind Iwao with his hands shoved his pockets as he was dressed in a white t-shirt and plain blue jeans.

Iwao swallowed hard. This man was tall-taller than even him!

And he looked dangerous!

"Who the hell are you?" Iwao demanded as the man walked over to stand beside Anna.

Mikoto smirked then. "Don't you recognize me?"

Iwao realized then that this was truly the Red King.

He wasn't a kid.

He was a man and he was the one who was burning him.

The flames shot up Iwao's legs and engulfed his entire body. He wasn't being burned to a crisp by the flames, but it felt as though he was and he screamed out loud, begging Mikoto to stop it.

But Mikoto didn't.

It was only when Anna touched his arm that he removed his eyes from the flaming man to turn his attention to her.

"Mikoto. Shouldn't we return now?"

Suddenly, he grasped her chin in his large hand and forced her to look at him.

"You..." he growled lowly and Anna saw that in his eyes, there was anger. "you're in trouble."

With that, the room disappeared and Anna let out a loud breath as she suddenly found herself in the real room again.

* * *

Iwao was on the floor, as was Anna who was sitting on the ground with her back against it. Mikoto, still fourteen, was stooping beside her with his hand on her head. She looked at her King and he responded with a stern look. Then he sighed and lightly patted her head before standing up.

Iwao scrambled backward but he bumped into someone from the back.

He spun around to see a short fellow who had an angry expression on. Yata's arm became engulfed in his red aura as he slammed his fist into his face, and sent Iwao flying through the door, crashing into it until he hit the opposite wall of the hallway.

Iwao was about to stand but three people surrounded him. He recognized them as the teachers he has spoken to in the tea room the week before. Kusanagi-sensei, Awashima-sensei and Munakata-sensei.

He cursed.

"It really was you. You really came after her," came a voice that was vaguely familiar.

Iwao looked up to see that two students were standing nearby, one of whom he recognized as Emi's friend.

He smirked. "Finally caught up to me, huh, Chie? You spent a lot of time chasing me. Had I known you had attended this school too, I would have been more careful,"

Chie lunged at him, but Fushimi grabbed her by the arms.

"Fushimi why is she here?" Reisi demanded of his subordinate.

"She stalked me," he responded.

Chie shot him an angry look but he shrugged and turned his attention to Iwao. "You knew she was tracking you?"

He snorted. "Heck yeah. When I returned to my old town I found out some little girl from Middle School had been asking for me, claiming she was my long lost sister. Put out quite a pathetic story and managed to get people to believe her so they gave her my info. It wasn't until I started working as a lab assistant in my last school that I caught her making enquiries about me. She didn't know though, that I knew what she was up to,"

"Quite a careful man you are," came the voice of Yuki Natsume. Kei and Emi were behind her but Kei, glancing into the classroom, hurried inside to find Akemi.

"I had to be,"

"Does lust rule you so badly?" Natsume asked him.

He snorted. "Unfortunately," he admitted bitterly. "I guess I'm just a monster."

Yata hurried to Emi who was gazing at Iwao with a frightened expression. Yata caught her by the arms.

"Emi, why are you here?" he demanded.

With her eyes still on Iwao, she whispered, "I had to make sure...I had to know for sure...that it was really him,"

Iwao smirked when he saw her. "Your boyfriend was the one who punched me," he informed her as Seri caught him by the shoulder and pulled him to his feet. He groaned in pain but she ignored him, pulling out a set of handcuffs.

His personality suddenly took a roundabout turn and he moved from having a bitter expression on his face to a crazy, wicked one.

"You grew up well, and even with those cute glasses on you look the same. Just like I remember when you were in that classroom, quivering and shaking,"

Emi whimpered and Yata let out and angry growl, about to attack, but Fushimi held his arm out, stopping him.

"Saru, why-?"

Fushimi didn't have to reply because Chie had intervened and with a perfect uppercut, her fist slammed into his jaw.

Iwao slumped against Seri and Reisi grabbed him by the back of his neck then. He didn't really want Seri dealing with this pervert.

Iwao spat out a tooth.

"I've been waiting nearly four years to do that," she stated. "I hope you rot in jail."

Iwao snorted. Chie seemed to have knocked the madness out of him temporarily. "I hope so too," he glanced over to Emi. "even if it means nothing to you, I am sorry. I want to stay away from you, but I can't. Even now it's taking all of me to struggle with my power to not come out and attack you. I'm a sick twisted man whose powers combined with lust rule him. I _need_ to be locked away. And you need to be happy."

Reisi proceeded to take him away with Seri following, while Emi looked on, shocked just as the others were.

* * *

Emi Kyou had had things very rough in her life for the last three years or so. Her attacker had walked the streets free, her peers had bullied her because of him. Maybe she could have accepted what her attacker done to her better, had it not been for the bullying and the lack of support from her teachers, family and friends. She had felt so alone and isolated for even her parents didn't believe her. Instead they thought she had gone mad for a period of time. Even when Iwao had been caught the second time threatening her, they had some doubts, but they had been concerned enough to send her away to a school where she wouldn't be bullied in.

Emi knew God had kept at least person at her side throughout the entire ordeal, the one person who proved to be a true friend-Chie Izumi.

Her friend had gone through lengths for her, to get revenge for her, even when she could have left Emi alone to be bullied, even if she bore some of the brunt of the bullying.

Even at the risk of her own life, Chie never left Emi's side. She even went so far as to transfer High Schools in her senior year in order to protect Emi.

When Emi had no strength, Chie had been it. Emi had never wanted Chie to devote her life like this for her, but Emi knew that if their positions had been switched she would have been the same.

Only recently, her life began to pull itself together. Once she entered Seneca, she was left alone. She had a few acquaintances but she hadn't cared to form good relations.

She had damaged her ankle from that attack on Iwao and she, who used to be more athletic could no longer participate in sports like she used to.

For a while, she was glad about that because it meant she wouldn't draw attention to herself. She didn't mind being alone. At least she wouldn't have to be betrayed like she was the last time, by everyone.

Suicide had been on her mind many times, even after entering Seneca.

But she hadn't gone through with it.

Because in her heart she felt that if she had died, she would have died for **nothing**, she would have accomplished nothing and no one would remember her for anything. So she had sworn to herself that would try to live each day, take each day one at a time, and hope that her wounds would heal.

They did, slowly.

When Chie transferred to Seneca, things improved to have her very important friend, her sister, at her side. They did things together, smiled together. She even able to laugh a little more.

Then Yata came into her life. The energy and the brilliance he had reminded her somewhat of who she used to be, and that was what made her attracted to him.

Each day she spent at his side healed those wounds.

"Yata-sensei?" she whispered his name.

He had a hand on her shoulder, as they gazed after Iwao who was being taken away.

"What is it?"

She looked up at him from behind her glasses with wide eyes. "Do you think I'm tainted?"

He looked bewildered. "Why would you be tainted, Emi?"

"Because of what he did to me, even though he didn't reach as far as raping me, and there's no physical evidence-" Emi gasped as she was suddenly hugged-not tightly, just a gently embrace.

Yata suddenly froze and let her go. He blushed. "Er...sorry if I startled you. I just see my little cousin getting hugged when she's upset about something...I thought this might work too," 'Little cousin' meant Anna.

Emi was blushing too. "I don't mind...if it's you, Yata-sensei," she admitted and managed a smile.

Yata's cheeks went even redder and the two entered another awkward embrace.

"You're not tainted. Even if he had done it to you physically, you wouldn't be. You're pure, Emi," he assured her.

And something else in Emi healed.

Today, someone listened to her story.

Today, someone heard.

And today, someone did something.

All these people took this matter into their hands and got rid off a monster. Even the monster admitted that he was one and even apologized. Emi didn't know what to make of that yet. It did impact on her that it seemed that Iwao Orochi's power had driven him to having somewhat of a dual personality-the rational part of him that hated what he was doing, and the crazy, insane, obsessive part of him that grew and grew while the rational part of him diminished.

This meant something to her. It meant that her attacker hadn't always been a monster, and didn't want to be one. If anything, he was a victim of his own power as it eroded his self-control and drove him to do mad things.

It didn't mean she was willing to forgive him quite yet for this, for she had scars, much of them came from how much she had been bullied by her peers because of him, and the fact that he hadn't done a thing to stop it. And he had been accused of attacking other students as well.

But for now, it was a start for her. She was healing on inside.

* * *

Chie smiled gently as she looked at her friend being hugged.

"Aren't you going to go over to her?" Fushimi asked.

Chie looked at him with kind eyes. For once, Fushimi saw that the girl didn't have that hardness in his eyes that he had seen before. Instead, they looked like a heavy burden had been lifted.

"Not yet. I'll have time with her soon,"

Fushimi respected this girl. She didn't sit by when her friend got her, and she stuck up for her, going to extreme lengths for her.

"Now that that guy's going to be locked up, do you think she'll be okay?"

Chie returned her attention to the pair. "She's healing. There will be scars which may never disappear but Emi is strong. She will learn to live with them,"

Fushimi grunted.

"Fushimi-san,"

Fushimi looked at her. Her gaze was on him again, and it was full of warmth.

"Thank you,"

"I just didn't like how you were nagging me," he stated, despite his blushing cheeks. Chie saw right through his words and she giggled.

Fushimi shot her a glare.

She reached up and patted his shoulder. "You're a sweet guy, Fushimi-san,"

"I'm not sweet!" he snapped, but Chie only laughed more.

And in doing so, she felt so much more light hearted. It was over.

She and Emi could smile again.

"Chie!" came Emi's voice.

Her friend was looking at her expectantly.

Chie hurried over to her. The two hugged.

Yes, it was finally over.

* * *

The Gold King finished speaking to Natsume Yuki. In summary, Iwao Orochi was guilty of many things. He deliberately placed himself in Emi Kyou's life with the intent to harm her. He did scar her mentally and emotionally and he got away from it. Physical damage came from Emi's peers when the repercussions of his attacks left her, a fourteen year old as the one to blame. She had to bear that until she was transferred out of Middle School.

Iwao returned to the use of his real name afterward and went on to become a lab assistant in a High School and a researcher for the college where the Gold King relied on for much of the technology used to improve his country's information systems. He even had a few high IQ strains working on the Board because of how much they could contribute. It was because of their links into Scepter 4 that it had been discovered that a man by the name of Orochi Iwao had recently been registered as a strain and from there they were able to frame him for spying on the people in the area where he lived.

By this time, Iwao had changed some of his appearance. he had grown out his hair. In fact, looking at the ends of his long hair would display darker tips, indicating their original color. He also had a bit of facial work done, not much though. Apparently he had to get a slight nose job done to correct a fracture caused in an accident.

The Gold King's sources had confirmed that yes indeed, Iwao had actually been set up by them with the accusation of voyeurism which landed him in the asylum for.

The question was, did he really attack the students?

Yes. The answer was yes; he had.

His research was actually stolen by the members of the Board of Research and when Iwao attempted each time to contact them, the students would refuse. So, he would try to get to know them better and eventually attack them. That was his way of getting revenge on the researchers. None of those kids came forward about the matter until one girl was so freaked out about it that she mentioned it to the school guidance counsellor and that's what blew the matter up. Of course, there was never any real evidence suggesting that he had ripped their clothes or touched them in certain ways before the janitor came in and interrupted so he couldn't be charged for that in regular courts.

Iwao had also given additional information concerning the Gold King choosing Seneca for him; what had really happened was that Iwao had specifically asked for that school and the Gold King had formulated his plan from there to involve the Red Clan in order to discover what was really going with Iwao-whether or not he was innocent.

The Gold King sighed. It was not abnormal for Kings to be the ones to possibly become consumed by their power. Especially in the case of the hot headed Red King. But recently even Suoh Mikoto had been able to exercise more control over it. The evidence of it was the healing of his sword.

It was a bit more rare for strains to become consumed by their power. Only certain types could. Anna Kushina was not one of them, neither was Maria Yubikiri.

However, it was often debated that the Strains who were born with extraordinarily high IQ levels tended to become overcome by their powers. Iwao was one of the very few who had been born with more than one type of talent; he had the ability to see things very close by, he could project himself into another person's mind, and he could awaken the desires of others and he had a high IQ.

He was truly a dangerous strain, and such a pity he had to be locked away-for Iwao Orochi, on top of being a highly dangerous strain, had also been a brilliant man.

* * *

Izumo had hurried inside the classroom to find Anna and Mikoto. Anna was kneeling by the side of her blonde haired friend.

"Is she alright?" Izumo asked.

"She needs a doctor, Izumo," Anna answered.

Akemi, on her back saw the handsome sensei looking at her. She realized something then, "Hey Anna, how come you're calling this sensei so familiarly?" She winced in pain.

"I'm her brother," the sensei informed her.

Akemi's eyes widened slightly. "I thought Mikoto-san was her brother?"

"He's her father," Mikoto corrected.

"I'm her brother damn it! I'm too young to be her daddy!"

"Whatever you say, 'Kaa-san,"

"Damn you Mikoto!"

Akemi smiled then. Somehow she really believed that this sensei was Anna's family as well.

"Akemi?" came Kei's voice.

She turned her head to the side and saw her friend looking at worriedly. "Did he hurt you? I mean you're hurt, but I mean did he do anything to you, did he touch you in any bad way?"

This was the first time Akemi saw Kei look so flustered and lifting her good arm, she used her hand to touch his cheek.

"I'm glad you're here, Kei," she whispered and Kei's face which had been contorted with worry suddenly looked very sad. His hand covered Akemi's on his face while he used his free hand to gently stroke her cheek.

"I'll send a stretcher for you, Akemi," came Natsume's voice from the doorqay before she left to contact the Gold King.

Akemi nodded slightly.

"How did you get here?" Mikoto asked Kei.

"Natsume Yuki-sensei carried me," he answered.

"You let an old lady carry you?" Mikoto asked.

"I'm not old!" Natsume snapped, overhearing after conversing with the Gold King. "and it's no big deal to carry a kid on my back!"

"I'm pretty light you know," Kei said and Mikoto shrugged. Natsume left after getting a phone call.

Izumo waited around with Anna and Mikoto in the classroom with Akemi and Kei while they waited for the stretcher.

"Anna used her power to save me," Akemi was telling Kei.

Mikoto and Izumo looked at her when she said that while Anna remained devoid of any expression.

"You know about Anna's powers?" Izumo asked, shocked.

Akemi looked uncomfortable, wondering if she should have said that.

"They found out," Anna stated.

"And Natsume-san didn't tell us, or erase their memories?" Mikoto asked softly. Anna sensed that he was really mad, and that his anger was directed toward her but he was biding his time until they took Akemi away. He at least had that much patience-for now.

"She wanted to, but I asked her not to. They never told anyone,"

Izumo nodded at that.

"That man said that Mikoto-san is a King. The Red King, and Anna is his princess," Akemi stated. "and that guy, he had a red aura around his arm when he hit that man." Akemi looked at Kei then, whose mouth had dropped open in shock, "Kei, when we found out about Anna's power, you said that you heard that the Kings had clans and that the Red Clan was the most violent," she looked at Anna, "if Anna is Mikoto-san's princess, then isn't she the princess of the Red Clan?"

Izumo and Mikoto were looking pointedly at Kei now, "How do you know all of that?" Izumo asked suspiciously.

"My brother and I hung out in Shizume City over the summer vacation last year. He was working in that City this summer and there was a lot of fights going on. I swear that even that guy-Yatagarasu was fighting when I was there! I saw it for myself. My brother told me what was going on...I had even heard of strains, but I didn't think that Anna was part of any clan because she was a strain,"

It was clear the boy only had a vague idea of what was going on so neither Izumo nor Mikoto really doubted him.

"I've got to tell those guys to stop making such a ruckus," Izumo muttered.

"They won't listen," Mikoto pointed out.

Anna tilted her head to the side and looked at Kei who was watching her with his mouth gaping open.

"Are you afraid of me?" she questioned, recalling how he had reacted upon learning that she was a strain.

"Of you? Heck no! If I had known that guy was the Red King, I'd have run!" Kei exclaimed.

Izumo chuckled then while Mikoto shrugged and Anna looked on blankly. Akemi managed to laugh as well.

"What, what's so funny?" he demanded.

"It's the way you said it," Akemi replied with a smile.

"Are you afraid of Anna?" Izumo asked her.

Akemi shook her head, and with a grateful smile directed at her friend from a lying down position. "No. I'm just glad that I have the most awesome and beautiful friend. She came to help me, even though she knew she was up against someone dangerous. I'm blessed,"

Anna patted her friend's hair lightly. "Kei nearly fainted from anemia when he came searching for you," Anna informed her.

Akemi turned her eyes to him.

He smiled awkwardly. "I was worried when you didn't come back,"

"We'll probably have to erase their memories," Izumo said.

"Please don't do that. We never said anything about Anna's powers to anyone, and we won't say anything about it,"

Izumo, Anna and Mikoto looked at each other then. Anna then quietly mentioned, "We may not have a say in the matter,"

"What do you mean?" Akemi questioned.

"There's another King who we all have to obey. If this guy thinks you know too much about the situation, he might alter your memories himself,"

"Isn't there anything you can do to stop him? We prefer it this way. We understand Anna better now," Akemi was saying.

"We'll work something out with Natsume-san," Mikoto mentioned but he told the two sternly, "but whatever happens mention to no one else except Yuki Natsume that you know about clans and Kings."

The two nodded.

Just then, the stretcher arrived to take Akemi away.

Anna watched as they took her friend away. Then she stood up, ready to follow suit.

However, a hand grabbed onto her shoulder. "And where do you think you're going?" Mikoto growled.

Anna glanced at him. "Mikoto?"

He was glaring at her angrily and she could almost see his eyes become as piercing as that of a pissed off lion.

Izumo was standing nearby. Anna looked to him for answers, but Izumo merely lit a cigarette. Normally she would expect him to at least tell Mikoto to let her go and to get over whatever he was angry about. But Izumo didn't.

They were both angry.

* * *

_**A/N: We're drawing to a close with this story, but there will be a sequel which is a continuation of this story. I'm hoping to update soon and wrap up this story so that I can start on the sequel (I'm excited about it!).**_

_**Anyway, Mikoto is angry at Anna (again).**_

_**Please forgive any inconsistencies in the plot and any grammar errors, today's been a little tough but I hope you enjoyed the chapter nonetheless. I didn't want to leave such a cliffhanger for too long ;)**_

_*****I just wanted to mention that rape, sexual assault are serious incidences. It's important that if this has happened to you or anyone you know that you have a good support group with you to help you through. Pray hard. keep God, good friends and relatives close for these are the ones who will uplift you and give your life meaning (I know I sound like such an old lady when I talk about this kind of stuff, but these things are real life incidences. It's important to acknowledge this, and try to keep safe by learning some kind of self defense and listening to warnings about walking alone at night etc., whether you are female OR male. I know of males who have gotten raped and it's really awful for both sexes).**_

_**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you all of you who reviewed, followed and favorited this story. **_

_**For those who reviewed:**_

**Indochine: I have some time this week, so I'm trying to get it done. I also know how annoying cliffhangers are. Yep, Lion-O is Mikoto's child (but he would never admit it). I figured Mikoto might be dense headed enough to eat it and I was hoping to surprise everyone with the kiss because from the responses I got, there were times in other chapters it seemed everyone expected them to kiss, but they didn't! I'm glad it was a pleasant surprise for you :) Well, Kei left one couple only to walk into another. I don't know if to feel sorry for him or not because he was the only single guy in the building at that time ;) I'm really glad you liked that part with Mikoto and Anna. About Emi and Chie, I just had to go back and edit the plot in the last chapter. I felt that it was too cruel for Emi to be raped and I don't like the idea of a really dark, twisted plot. So I had to change it. You are not wrong at all about the Iwao arc coming to an end. I want to wrap it up soon so I can start on the sequel. I liked Naruto for a time but those fillers just ticked me off and I can't stand Sasuke now. Bleach got disappointing with the Aizen arc but they're onto the final arc now but I stopped following it. Thanks for reading and hope you had a good day. God bless :)**

**annashina: I'm glad you liked the kiss! Hope you liked this chapter. Yes, it will end soon but there is going to be a sequel which is the continuation of this story :)**

**Arius the Heretic: Your review really made me smile. I could feel your excitement over the kiss! I'm pleased about that :) Thanks for all those lovely words! Mizuchi was the bad guy from the novel. If you check out tumblr, you'll find some translations of the novel. I want to put in your suggestion because it would really be funny. I'm already thinking up the scene! Thanks so much for the idea! **

**sereneskydragon: Yes, he has a history. A history of a madman :/ Hope you liked this chapter :)**

**Narunosuke-Namikaze-Uchiha: Hi, thanks for reviewing and YES! YOU ARE THAT AWESOME!**

**Hodgeheg: Now you know what he was going to do :) Yata wasn't my favorite character, but I did like him. He really is a sweet guy. I really tried to update quickly. Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**

**danihasacookie: I'm just glad to hear from you and to know you're still enjoying the story! I'm glad you like the part with Anna and Mikoto kissing :) And thank you so much for those wonderful words about me being a good writer. That means a lot to me! I'm also appreciate you liking Akemi and Kei's relationship, especially because they're OCs and I know not everyone likes OCs. Thanks agin for your lovely words and hope you enjoyed this chapter. I seriously had to edit out a lot of stuff from this chapter because I can't bear to write in too much sexually psychotic characters. So, if Iwao's story kinda disappointed you in this chapter, I'm sorry, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter despite this :) Hope you have a good day too :)**

**WitchyCloudPine: Hi, I forgot to respond to your PM! So I will here: you're an awesome writer and I'm touched that you read my story! Thanks for always keeping up with the chapters! **

**laxus23: They did :)**

**xNightDreamerx: You're very correct about no one should have to suffer through that kind of pain, fictional or real. That's why I edited out the plot a little n the previous chapter. The unfortunate thing is that it does happen in real life and the important thing is to try to be strong and take each day at a time like Emi did. Wounds heal, but scars remain and it's important to accept those scars and learn to live with them. Anyway, I have concluded this horrific scene! **

**Little Weirdo: I had hoped it would catch you off guard ;) I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I'm happy that you think I'm a good writer. Thank you so much :)**

**TheRoseShadow21: I hope it was a pleasant surprise for you, and I'm it made your day better. Your review made my day better:)**

**_Thanks again for all the reviews. I truly appreciate it._**

**_Let me know your thoughts on this chapter. _**

_**God bless :) **_


	45. Aftermath

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_Rated 'T'_

**_A/N: I didn't go into a lot of detail on it in the last chapter, but I just wanted to mention that Mikoto is still fourteen. This chapter should explain a little more on this and answer some questions you may have on when he's going to get back to normal. _**

**_Enjoy :)_**

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

**Chapter 45:Aftermath**

Yuki Natsume had had very few problems with Anna, considering that the girl's parents had been murdered when she was young because she had asked them to not let her go back to the hospital that was really a place that conducted research on her. Not only that, her only family remaining family, her aunt, was no longer an active part of her life. Anna had also endured physical and mental torture for years and then she had lost someone else, someone very beloved right before she hit age eleven.

Anna had had things tough but from what Yuki Natsume saw and sensed with her power was that the girl was developing quite well. She an excellent academic. She was also good at physical activities including dance and martial arts. Socially, she had few friends who were outside Homra, but the friends she made were the ones who stood by her and respected her. Spiritually she also seemed to be doing fine for she attended the cathedral when required to, or sometimes just came on her own and would say a little prayer.

However, what bothered Natsume was Anna's emotional health. It wasn't that Anna didn't feel anything contrary to what certain school acquaintances might think-in fact, Anna was quite an emotional person but she never showed it on the surface.

She never laughed. She never cried. She would sometimes show a little discomfort and even occasional anger but only those who knew her well such as Mikoto or Izumo and possibly Akemi could actually pick up on those things.

Anna had slowly begun to show a little more emotion, but very slightly with a little occasional smile. From what she understood, Anna used to be able to smile a little but after Tatara died, it became even more rare for her. It was only recently she was able to show that little positive emotion on her face.

Now, Natsume wasn't saying that that was such a big problem because part of what made up Anna Kushina was her ability to put on a mannequin face in almost any situation. A little smile from her was actually really excellent.

But Natsume also knew that it was only human to display emotions, including negative ones. Sometimes she felt that Anna focused a little too much on maintaining that mannequin face and considering the feelings of others before she thought of sorting out her own emotions. Natsume also knew that eventually, Anna, in some way, was going to crack.

Something was going to trigger it off, and Natsume only hoped that when that happened, someone who cared for her deeply would be there to comfort her.

* * *

Izumo was never really one to get angry with Anna. Sure, he snapped at her on occasion, but he would feel regret right afterward because normally, Anna wasn't a deliberately naughty child. In fact, the occasions when Izumo _did_ get angry with Anna, the emotion was targeted at Tatara because he had had Anna as company as he got did something Izumo did not approve of.

"_Anna, what are you drawing...hey! Is that my cocktail recipe book?!" he demanded, snatching away the book from the girl who had been drawing in it. She blinked up at Izumo who looked like he was having a heart attack at the sight of his precious book being scribbled upon._

_Izumo growled. _

"_Ah, don't be mad at Anna," Tatara chided from the opposite couch where he was napping under a white blanket._

"_You put her up to this!"_

"_She looked bored and you never use that book-"_

"_This was the very first book I ever had where I researched cocktail recipes for myself and wrote them down! Do you know how many years went into it? How many hours I searched? How much ink I spent?!"_

_Anna, feeling awful about it, tugged on Izumo's shirt hem, making him look down. _

"_I'm sorry," she apologized._

_Izumo could never really be mad at that pretty face with wide dark eyes._

_Kindly, he patted her hair. "I'm not angry with you, Anna because you didn't know what you were doing. It's that moron who I'm upset with,"_

"_But I didn't know what I was doing either," Tatara pointed out with a pout. "it just looked like an old useless book that lies around doing nothing."_

"_Old? Useless?! These recipes are what gave this bar its name!"_

"_I thought your Uncle named it,"_

"_Asshole! You know I mean that it's what built up its reputation under my care!"_

_Tatara smiled then. "Well, now you have a souvenir on it from a pretty girl. See?"_

_Izumo lifted the book and gazed at the drawing on the last page. _

_He smiled suddenly. And quite warmly._

_Anna's drawing held all the fabulousness a nine year old could give. Meaning she drew a box to represent Homra bar and stick people to represent everyone else. Except Kamamoto-he had lines for arms and legs but his stomach was a large circle. _

_At the bottom, Anna wrote in: 'My Family' and that made Izumo's heart grow warm. He hugged Anna afterward and treated her to cookies and juice. _

Even when Mikoto had gotten mad at her right after the situation with the Rise, Izumo had still been concerned about her instead of angry.

In fact, the only time Anna knew Izumo to be angry with anyone was when they did something to harm his bar, harm someone close to him, or when those close to him did something that could potentially harm themselves.

Anna _didn't_ think she fell into any of those categories at the moment so she didn't really know why he was upset and she wasn't willing to pry into his mind to find out. Mikoto's fourteen year old counterpart as well was a puzzle.

There were times that she did have to witness some ire from Mikoto because of Tatara as well. Especially when he played tricks on Mikoto.

_The nine year old child knelt beside Mikoto on the couch, observing silently and unblinkingly as Tatara squeezed some toothpaste onto Mikoto's cheek. Mikoto was so deeply asleep, that he did not notice. _

_Then, carefully, Tatara lowered a piece of string beside the huge white lump of gooey toothpaste and lightly brushed it against Mikoto's cheek. Mikoto's eyebrows furrowed at the light touch._

_Unconsciously believing it to be an insect, the Red King lifted his hand and tried to brush it away, effectively smearing the toothpaste onto half the side of his face. Thinking the pest was gone, Mikoto placed his hand beside his head and his red hair gently pressed on that hand, therefore it also became dirtied with the toothpaste. _

_But Tatara was not done!_

_He lightly brushed the string on Mikoto's mouth. _

_Mikoto lifted the same hand again and smeared the toothpaste from his cheek, across his mouth._

_Maybe it was the soft gasp Anna made that awoke him._

_Or maybe it was simply the minty scent invading his nostrils._

_Whatever the case was, Mikoto opened his eyes and found Anna sitting beside him, her dark eyes wide and looking at him, never blinking but somehow, **somehow **he knew she was laughing at him silently._

_The very slight upturn of her little mouth suggested she was amused._

_What he did not understand was why the little one would find something funny when sitting beside him._

_Then he saw her eyes._

_He caught hold of the back of her head, stunning her and her eyes widened more. _

"_King, what are you-?" Tatara's stopped asking when he saw Mikoto gazing into Anna's eyes. _

_Mikoto was actually seeing his own red figure reflected in there and there was white on him._

_Minty scent was in his nose and he could taste it on his lips._

_Abruptly, Mikoto let Anna go and grabbed Tatara by the top of his head. "You bastard. Why are you looping a kid into your mischief?" he demanded. _

_Tatara only smiled. "I wanted her to laugh a little! See that pretty face? Isn't she happy?"_

_Mikoto glanced at the child who was still watching on._

_He tsked and let go of Tatara, about to go upstairs and clean his face. _

_However, he heard Tatara lean down and whisper to Anna. Mikoto caught the words, 'when he's asleep' and 'toothpaste' and what ticked Mikoto the most off, 'he wouldn't hurt you if you get caught'. _

_Immediately, he spun around and grabbed Anna by the back of her dress, lifting her off the couch and startling both her and Tatara. He moved to leave as he placed her under his arm while she lifted her head upward and blinked at him, wondering what in the world he was thinking._

"_King! Why are you holding Anna like she's a pig you're taking to the slaughterhouse?!"_

"_Tatara, I don't think Anna likes being compared to a pig!" Izumo called out from the bar._

_She didn't, but Mikoto continued walking away with her, going up the stairs as his strong arm remained under her waist, toting her along casually as if she a sack of rice or 'a pig being taken to the slaughterhouse'. _

_Mikoto arrived at her room and he opened the door. He set her onto her feet in it and she looked up at him. _

_She tilted her head to her side, looking up at him curiously. _

_He gently patted her head. "I'm not mad at you," he assured her gently before removing his hand. "but you're staying here until that idiot's daily mischievous streak passes."_

"_Ah, Mikoto does not want me to get Tatara's habits," she realized._

_Mikoto's eyes shot to hers. He snorted. "Damn right I don't,"_

_He couldn't bear two pranksters. Especially if he would never dare use violence against a particular pretty one with wide grey eyes and alabaster hair._

* * *

But she had had to bear Mikoto's anger quite a few times recently since he reverted to age fourteen when he happened across Kei, and she suspected that his current anger ran deeper than because of her choice of friends.

Really, what _had_ she done wrong?

She pondered this as she sat on her bed, rather primly with both her hands on top of her lap. It was already raining out and she felt as though the weather matched the volatile moods of the two people in her room with her.

_Anna braced herself for Mikoto's anger for not even Izumo seemed willing to protect her from it this time. However, Natsume entered the room._

"_Anna, you don't seem to be hurt but I'd like to have a look at you at home,"_

_Anna glanced at Mikoto and Izumo hesitantly. The pair nodded. As Natsume left, Mikoto got up, grasped Anna's wrist and tugged her along, followed by Izumo, all the way to Natsume's house. His pace never too quick for her, and he displayed enough consideration for her to not have a tight hold on her, but she could feel the heat of his hand on her._

_He was definitely mad._

_And it scared her._

_A quick over-view of Anna's neck by Natsume at the principal's home revealed that her pale skin had a print from Iwao's grasp, but it was quickly fading because he hadn't attempted to strangle her-he had held her there to frighten her and force her to look at home so that he could get into her mind. _

_Natsume had then suggested that they have dinner after a bath and Anna realized that the principal was trying to delay Mikoto and Izumo from speaking to Anna in hopes that their anger would somewhat abate after they freshened up and had a meal._

_Anna would never show that she was nervous, but dinner had been such a silent and grim affair for her because she had been painfully aware that Mikoto's anger had nowhere diminished. Izumo had eased up somewhat from what she could sense, but he was still pretty upset with her._

_Finally, Mikoto ordered her, "Go upstairs,"_

* * *

Izumo lit a new cigarette while Mikoto held out his hand in front of Anna.

Reluctantly, Anna gave him Lion-O. She did not know why he just _had_ to use Lion-O against her.

Once he had the stuffed toy, Mikoto shoved him under his arm and gave Anna a serious look before turning away and walking to the wall beside her bed which he proceeded to lean into.

"Do you know why we're angry?" Izumo questioned.

Anna shook her head, and gazed at him wide eyed.

"No,"

Izumo glanced over at Mikoto. "Heard that?" he asked.

"I heard," Mikoto confirmed.

Anna gave a slight frown.

Izumo sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Anna, why did you go after Iwao on your own?"

His voice wasn't angry, just frustrated...and even disappointed. Anna was surprised at his tone, as well as his words.

"Akemi was in danger," she responded simply.

Izumo glanced at Mikoto.

Mikoto now turned his attention to Anna. He glared at her.

"It wouldn't have taken you long to open the door and tell me," he cut in.

"I was worried and I thought Kei would have told you,"

"Your friend was half dead with anemia and could barely stand when we saw him!" Mikoto snapped and Anna's heart trembled at his tone of voice. It seemed to shake the very insides of her. Only once he had ever raised his voice at her and that was when he had gotten upset with her for being in the Rise's base. Even then, she had felt too sick to really take on the brunt of his rage.

"Mikoto-"

"We couldn't track you," Mikoto put in, his voice lower now, almost growling. "Iwao had tampered with the cameras and we had no idea where you or your friend were." He walked over to her and she gasped when he caught hold of her chin in his hand. His eyes were glowing red.

In a deceptively soft voice, he questioned, "Do you know what that meant, Anna?"

"I-"

"You're our tracker, the eyes of Homra! With the cameras becoming useless, how were we supposed to find you?" he demanded.

"But you did," Anna pointed out in a small voice.

Mikoto's red just seemed to get darker.

He caught hold of her shoulders and dragged her to her feet, pulling her to the tip of her toes so that she was forced to face the raging lion.

She gazed up at him, wide eyed.

"If Fushimi hadn't figured out the system in time, we would have arrived too late and do you know what would have happened to you?"

"I didn't think-"

"No you didn't!" he snapped. "What would have happened if I hadn't come in, Anna? He was already choking you and he had already gotten into your mind!"

Anna began to shake violently suddenly and Izumo and Mikoto had become startled at the sight.

Maybe it was her cycle, maybe it was simply her day, the worries and the anxieties becoming to much.

The girl who was her best female friend (and probably only female friend) had been abducted by some split personality rapist strain. Her friend had been hurt. Her other friend, perhaps her best male friend after Tatara had become very ill with his anemia and she knew how dangerous his condition was. He had even had to be rushed to the hospital after Akemi because he was close to fainting again.

She didn't show it right now, but she was concerned over them both. She was very worried for they were her friends and she cared for them deeply. In her heart, a fear was starting to develop in her because of how many people she had lost in her life.

She was so frightened, even now that she could loose them.

Right now, Mikoto's anger, and the awareness of Izumo's vexation made her feel that they had in some way also come to dislike her. She knew they would never hurt her but her fear came from the possibility that they might hate her in some way now and that they would push her away from them. She could not bear that.

It was a childish way of thinking that Mikoto and Izumo would act that way, but her anxiety was so high at the moment that she couldn't find herself thinking otherwise, only that she was afraid that they would leave her as well.

Either way, to her own shock as well as theirs, she began to sniffle.

Tears began to drip down her cheeks uncontrollably. Mikoto was stunned at her reaction. He glanced over to Izumo whose cigarette had dropped out of his mouth when he had also become surprised.

"He didn't have a lot of control in my mind, Mikoto. My power helped me to push him away," she sobbed.

Mikoto watched her silently for a moment. "Do you know why I'm angry, Anna?" he asked her carefully.

"Because I could have gotten hurt," she replied and hiccuped.

Mikoto knew he was a sucker for her tears. He did have every right to be vexed but he supposed that he really was a frightening person, and that Anna, for how doll-like she could be, did not mean that she didn't feel sadness or hurt, or fear and she still had a deep emotional attachment to him.

His feelings would definitely affect hers and his feelings of rage were making her frightened.

It made him feel contrite about being so angry, but it did not mean that he believed that he was wrong for feeling this way.

"The reason is because you thoughtlessly put yourself in danger," he replied and let her go. He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "I don't fault you for wanting to protect your friend, Anna, but you didn't think about the situation and you didn't think about the consequences. You just acted,"

Izumo walked over and stood beside Mikoto. He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Mikoto would know. He talks from experience,"

Mikoto shot Izumo an angry glare and the bartender immediately let him go and gave him a nervous smile. Mikoto looked at Anna again.

She sniffled again and Mikoto cursed his heart which softened at the look of those weepy red eyes and that downturned little mouth. He sighed and gathered her in his arms.

"Hush now, I'm not angry anymore," he admonished her gruffly.

Anna burrowed into his arms and buried her face into his shoulder.

"I was afraid I would loose her...like I lost the others," she confided.

Mikoto and Izumo exchanged looks at her words and they could relate for they understood that kind of feeling too. It was a desperation to protect what was important to her.

She felt Izumo's hand on her back as Mikoto's hand lifted to gently stroke her hair comfortingly. Quietly, he said to her, "Anna, you went to save someone precious to you but you didn't think about what would have happened had you yourself been hurt against someone who could easily overpower you. Whether or not you believed you could have stopped him, or stalled him, you put yourself in a position where you could have been seriously damaged. Your friend is precious to you, but you are also precious to us. You didn't think about what it would have done to us had something had happened to you. That's why Mikoto is angry,"

Anna swallowed hard as her tears lessened. Yes, she she understood that and she was truly sorry. She had acted rashly and it would have been easy for her to just tell Mikoto instead of relying on a confused and weakened Kei.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

Mikoto sighed. "Just think a little before you act," he said, but then on a more serious note, "But if you ever, ever do that again, Anna. I will take you over my knee for that. And I mean it," he threatened.

Anna nodded against his chest.

Izumo gave her a gentle pat on the head before he left the room while Mikoto sat on the bed and positioned Anna on his lap so that she could continue sobbing until her heart calmed a little. She cuddled herself against him and his hold on her tightened.

Sometime later, Mikoto sensed that she had fallen asleep, as evident when he shifted her slightly to peer down at her pretty face, only to find her eyes closed and her breathing even. Mikoto's lips almost twitched into a smile. Mikoto called her a cub while Izumo described her as a rabbit. But when Anna got sleepy, she was like a drowsy kitten. She loved to cuddle and curl up herself against him, just as a kitten did and she even slept rather deeply. At least when she was with him she tended to be that way.

Mikoto's desire to laugh disappeared when he noted how thick and dark and long her eyelashes were. They actually touched the skin of her face.

Frowning, he lowered her onto the bed and lay down beside her.

Mikoto had never cared for fairy tales, but looking at her, he could almost picture her as a sleeping princess of some sort.

He idly stroked a strand of her hair on her face as his eyes shifted to her pretty mouth. Her lips were small and dainty, just as he felt a real princess's should be.

And she was a real princess, wasn't she? She was the princess of the Red Clan, and she was _his_ princess.

He had rescued her from that bastard, Mizuchi when he had been experimenting on her those years ago. He, the King, had come to the aid of the princess. Maybe they had a fairy tale of their own.

Rethinking it, Mikoto figured that maybe they didn't have a fairy tale. Fairy tales usually tended to be romantic with the prince kissing the princess. Mikoto was a king, not a prince and Anna was a princess, yes, but she was too young.

A voice inside of him reminded him that he was currently fourteen.

And that he had kissed this young princess just the other day.

And that he had _liked_ kissing her.

And gazing at her mouth now, he _wanted_ to kiss her again.

Mikoto quietly cursed himself. He was fighting hard to keep their relationship normal otherwise Anna and his twenty six year old self would end up feeling awkward about things. Mikoto was not in a frame of mind to have awkwardness between him and Anna of all people whether he be fourteen or twenty six.

He lifted his hand and used his thumb to gently stroke one of her soft cheeks. Then he laid his lips softly on it. His deep red hair brushed her pale colored bangs and as he drew back, he noted that her eyebrows had furrowed slightly. He kissed her forehead next, right between her eyebrows. He liked it here and was glad that he was not restricted there.

Next, he shifted so that he could press his lips to her temple which also allowed him to bury his nose there and lightly nuzzle it-his favorite spot. He still never really knew why he liked that spot so much. Whenever Anna's temple was revealed to him, he had this sudden urge to hug her to him and rub his nose there.

Mikoto slowly drew back. His eyes still went to her mouth and he wondered why it was that kisses on the lips just had to be their restriction. There was nothing romantic about it between them, nothing at all!

But Mikoto knew that to think that mouth to mouth kisses as completely unromantic would be stupid-even for him.

Mikoto frowned slightly. Her lips were a little dry for it was still cold.

The Red King smirked. What he was going to do, was not going to be for a romantic purpose. After all, he was too dense to really acknowledge something like that.

* * *

When Anna opened her eyes later, the rain had stopped. She recalled drifting away in Mikoto's arms but she had no idea when he had removed himself from her and had gone downstairs. He had substituted himself with Lion-O for her stuffed toy was cuddled in her arms.

Rubbing her eyes, she opened the door and went downstairs. She paused on the staircase and touched her lips suddenly.

They tasted like strawberry-watermelon. Anna did not recall putting on any of the chapstick Akemi had bought for her.

Vaguely, she could recall dreaming about when Mikoto had kissed her and in those dreams, the flavor of the chapstick had been strawberry-watermelon, not raspberry lemonade as with her original tube that Mikoto had eaten.

Not really certain of what to make of that, she continued walking.

She entered the living room where Natsume was having some tea with Mikoto and Izumo. Mikoto was eating some meat with his tea. Anna wasn't surprised. He was very much a meat lover anyway, any day and any hour of the week.

Which was better than him eating her chapstick anyway.

"Anna, you're just in time. I needed to speak to you,"

Anna nodded and climbed onto the couch beside Mikoto. It was one of those occasions when she still looked a bit childlike. Recently, she had become more feminine like with the development of curves and the graceful movement of her body. Even her face had lost some of its childish chubbiness, gradually becoming more beautiful.

But when she woke up, her eyes was always a little swollen and the way she would rub them as she moved about slowly was still very much like how she was she was younger and Izumo, for one, was glad about that. For him, in a way, she had grown up rather quickly.

Or rather too _suddenly_ for in a space of two years, she had shot from looking like a nine year old to looking like a petite fifteen year old who was really just thirteen.

"Anna, I had to question these two about your well being when you came downstairs," Natsume was saying.

Anna nodded again.

"Anna, it seems your crying was a reaction to your anxiety levels,"

Anna blinked. "Anxiety?"

"Yes, it seems your anxiety was a bit high today considering what you went through, and perhaps it was due to a build up over the years. You're a very worried person right now Anna, and even if you don't show it, you fret quite a bit without realizing it. For that reason, you keep getting more and more anxious. When you are not aware of something mentally, your body will find some way to respond to it physically if it becomes too serious. God made your body in such a way as to let you know when something's wrong with it. That's why when you have a virus, you get symptoms. It tells you something is wrong. It happens even for your mental frame of mind. Anna, your crying was a reaction to your anxiety and your anxiety stemmed from a lot of penned up emotions,"

"Will this happen again?" Anna asked.

Natsume gave her a slight frown. "It's not so bad if that happens again. Nothing's wrong with showing emotions you know,"

Ironically, Anna showed no emotion at Natsume's statement-she simply gave her a blank look.

Sighing, Natsume advised her, "Anna, try to become more aware of your own feelings instead of thinking about everyone else's," Then, placing a hand on the young girl's shoulder, she told her quietly, "it's only human to be emotional."

Anna nodded then, understanding.

"When will Mikoto return to normal?" she asked suddenly. She recalled that he had become twenty six again during what had happened with Iwao. She understood that he was able to accomplish it because he did have a connection to her psyche as he was her King.

And probably because of their closeness.

Eariler she had related everything that had happened to Natsume who had explained everything to her. She had said that because Mikoto was really twenty six and therefore that was also his age mentally, that was the form he took on in her mind although he was physically in his fourteen year old self.

"I've asked the strain who changed him to come by tomorrow," Natsume replied. "but he can't make it until Friday, after the dance. Anna, I don't think you have a date yet for the dance. Perhaps Mikoto could be your partner."

Mikoto didn't seem to mind, but he did comment, "Won't people think it's weird that she's going to a dance with her brother?"

"People will simply assume that you are overprotective of her,"

Mikoto shrugged then as he lifted a piece of meat to his mouth. "If she wants me to go with her, then I'll go,"

Anna looked at him and out of curiously, she asked, "What if I want to go with someone else?"

Mikoto's mouth had been full of meat when she asked that. He continued to casually chew his meat as he turned to her, lifted his hand and pinched her cheek hard.

She whimpered in pain and Izumo lifted his hands to protest against what Mikoto was doing while Natsume smiled uncomfortably.

"Do you actually have someone else to go with, brat?"

Anna hadn't really bothered with the dance seriously. She hadn't even been prepared to attend because she didn't have a decent dress or shoes to go with but she was quite sure that Natsume-san was already planning to take her out and doll her up.

Either way, she didn't have a date and the only who had been seriously on her mind these past two weeks or so had been Mikoto because she had been so glad to have him with her at her side as she went to school. He was mean, grumpy, beastly even, but he was her beautiful Mikoto and she loved having him at her side.

Even if he pinched her cheek.

When she didn't reply, she sensed a spike in his anger as he moved to pinch her other cheek.

"Do you, huh?"

"No," she answered and he let her go.

"Well, that settles it. Mikoto will be your date for the dance, Anna," Izumo stated.

Mikoto gave him a frown. For some reason, Izumo seemed to be delighted by that.

"And you? Do you have a date, or are you planning on scoring with someone else's?"

Izumo shrugged. "I don't plan on anything. I'm just gonna show up,"

* * *

Later that night, Anna was walked in silence to her bedroom with Mikoto. As they arrived at her door, Anna asked him quietly, "Are you still mad?"

In response, he placed his hand on top of her head and bent.

As his face drew closer to hers, she had a flashback of when they had been in the clubroom together and his mouth had been on hers, tasting of raspberry-lemonade chapstick. Then the dream she had had when she was sleeping came back to her.

_She was the sleeping princess in the tower, waiting for her King to rescue her. She felt his lips on her own, soft, warm and yet firm and tasted like strawberries and watermelon. _

However, his mouth touched her cheek as she had had expected. Then it touched the other cheek.

"I'm still a little mad," he admitted, but they both knew he wouldn't be angry for long. He patted her head.

Anna touched her mouth suddenly for she realized that when Mikoto's mouth had been close to her cheek, she caught a particular scent.

The scent of strawberries and watermelon. The same scent of her chapstick that he had been constantly nipping at recently.

Her eyes looked up at him. "Mikoto-?"

"Your lips were dry. You needed chapstick," was his response as he walked away and headed to his own room.

Anna blinked. What was she supposed to make of that?

"Mikoto?" Anna voiced his name.

He stopped walking and watched her over his shoulder.

"I need more chapstick," she said. She wanted to see what he would do or say, and if he would kiss her again.

Something was thrown at her and she caught it in her hands.

"You forgot that downstairs,"

It was her strawberry-watermelon chapstick. Mikoto must have had some on when he had been in her room earlier while the rest of the tube had been downstairs.

She gazed after Mikoto and was glad his back was turned so that he wouldn't see her disappointment.

She supposed that really and truly, it wasn't a 'kiss' he had given to her. He had just casually shared chapstick with her. Anna sighed.

She realized that there was more than likely not going to be anymore of herself and Mikoto kissing on the mouth.

* * *

Akemi had spent the night in the medical ward. She had a bruised hip and a bruised arm.

She also recalled the night before what Natsume had said to her.

"_Akemi, I've informed your father that you have been hurt,"_

_Akemi's eyes widened. "What?! Why did you do such a thing? Now he'll want to take me out of the school and put me somewhere else!"_

_Natsume frowned. "That shows that he's concerned," she pointed out, having known about Akemi's family situation for a while now._

_Akemi tsked, not meaning to be rude to her principal. "Not really. He'll just figure that he should ship me off somewhere else where he doesn't have to go through troublesome parenting things like getting worked up over something,"_

"_That's something interesting that you would say, Akemi, because before I could even explain what had happened, he hopped on a plane and dashed over to come here. I've already been informed by his secretary that he will be here by morning because he has to take two transit flights before he gets here from Europe,"_

_Akemi was stunned by her words. _

"_Natsume-sensei..what will you tell him?" she questioned. _

_Natsume shrugged. "I'll tell him the truth that's as close to possible about a perpetrator entering the school grounds and attacking you,"_

"_But my dad will want details about why this happened and who was involved. It could even damage the reputation of your school,"_

"_Well, we can't let your father know about the clans and kings. We'll come up with something to convince him. As for the reputation of my school, we can handle it,"_

_Akemi was silent. "He'll want to remove me from here,"_

"_I can perhaps understand why," Natsume admitted. After all, what real parent would want their child to continue going to a school where their child had been attacked?_

"_Tell him something else," Akemi requested._

_Natsume was surprised at her words. "Akemi, I am already going as far as to conceal some of the story but I can't lie about this-"_

"_Please!" Akemi begged, suddenly desperate. "I can't bear to leave this school_!"

_Natsume sighed. "I'll think about it. It may even be better because that way I won't have to erase your memory,"_

_Akemi's eyes widened in surprise. She smiled suddenly. "You won't have to?"_

"_No. The Gold King left the responsibility of memory adjustment to me. I have decided that based on the context of the situation, and for the social development of a particular strain, namely Anna Kushina, I will not erase your memories,"_

"_So you won't get into trouble for not erasing my memories?"_

"_No," she responded. "I have the jurisdiction because you are a part of my school, to handle this myself and make certain personal choices which are related to Anna. I've also decided to not erase Kei Junichi's memory. However, you both absolutely must **not** talk about Anna's power as a strain, nor the power of clans. Do you understand?"_

_Akemi nodded solemnly. She certainly understood. _

_And she didn't mind at all._

* * *

Akemi had had a bad dream the night before based on the occurrences with Iwao. She knew his intentions for she had seen it in his eyes. That kind of terror was not something she ever wanted to experience again.

That kind of helplessness, she did not want.

And she did not want to see Anna put herself in that kind of danger again.

She was grateful to her friend, but what would have happened to her had Mikoto Suoh not arrived in time?

Akemi had had nightmares last night of Mikoto not arriving in time, and Anna becoming strangled by that monster.

Now, Akemi was absolutely miserable.

Hajime Fumio, her boyfriend, found her with a very sad, depressed look on her face as he entered the room.

"Akemi?" he said her name softly. Then he smiled. "hey, don't look so sad. It's nothing right?

Akemi glanced at him. "I damaged my hip and my elbow,"

"I heard that you slipped somewhere. You're always bouncing around so carelessly-you should be more careful,"

Akemi knew that Hajime was only gently chiding her out of concern, but considering what really happened and what she had had to go through, and that nightmare she had just had-those weren't things she wanted to hear.

She would have preferred a hug to any words right now.

"Akemi, oh...I'll come back later," came Kei's voice.

Akemi looked up and saw that her dear friend was turning away.

"Kei," she suddenly sobbed.

He turned around in surprise. "Akemi?"

She held out her arms to him. "I want _you_,"

Kei smiled gently and hurried over to her, taking her into his arms and holding her closely as she held him tightly.

Hajime cursed.

Akemi knew it was over between him and her. It wasn't just because of Kei...it was because Hajime was so cold, so strict.

He just hadn't developed the capacity to understand a teenage girl's wants and needs. And even worse, he just didn't seem to _want_ to understand.

Hajime walked out of the room.

"Doesn't it bother you?" Kei asked Akemi gently, referring to her relationship with Hajime which seemed to have just been ruined.

She shook her head.

She didn't need a guy like Hajime.

Kei, for all his faults and his pranks on her as well as his sadistic behavior, was very warm to her. He understood that sometimes, Akemi just needed to be hugged. She didn't need words-just a little physical comfort, as Kei was giving her now.

As for Kei, he was secretly glad that Hajime was gone. He could always sense the guy's dislike of him, and Akemi having a boyfriend meant that he wouldn't be able to harass and tease as before like when he would hold her in his arms and frighten her.

For now, he was happy to have Akemi all to himself again.

* * *

Akemi immediately withdrew from Kei the moment she heard two familiar voices.

One belonged to Natsume Yuki.

The other was her father's.

The door opened and there stood the pair.

Akemi's father was a not completely Japanese. He was half American on his mother's side. He was tall and slim and had salt and pepper hair. Akemi didn't really look like him. She had some of his facial features but she looked more like her mother. Akemi's father was not a man who appreciated his Japanese roots. In fact, he had wanted Akemi to keep with her European name and tended to address her as 'Crystal-Belle' instead of 'Akemi'. Even when she had been little and her mother had insisted on calling her by her Japanese name, her father preferred her Western name.

Now he stood in the doorway, looking at her.

And Akemi was stunned by the sight of him. Not just by him being here, but by the worried look on his face.

"Crystal-Belle," he whispered and hurried to her side.

Akemi watched him with a slight frown. Then she asked, "Why are you here?"

"What do you mean? You were injured and I was worried," he answered and spoke in English.

Deliberately, Akemi replied in Japanese, "I didn't think you would be bothered,"

Her father sat in the chair beside Kei and slumped into it.

Natsume motioned for Kei to come away and he moved to stand beside the principal. She quietly instructed him to go to the lab for them to give him the results of the blood test they had run on him to check his blood count.

He did as he was told.

"I know I'm not the best dad," Christopher Hisoka told his daughter.

"You're pretty rotten," Akemi agreed.

Christopher gave his daughter a meaningful look. "Look, I know I put your mother-"

"_Step_-mother," Akemi corrected deliberately.

"Step_-_mother," he affirmed, "and your step sister before you sometimes."

"Sometimes? You do it all the time!" Akemi snapped, pissed off. Her father opened her mouth, but she cut him off when he was speaking, "you hate your Japanese heritage so much that you would shun your own daughter because she has it in her too! _And_, you always put your pure Western wife and her brat before me!"

Christopher sighed. "It's not that I hate my Japanese heritage...I was just bullied a lot in my Japanese High School because I had mixed blood. And your grandfather who was a pure Japanese man drank and smoked and cheated on my mother,"

"So it's my fault that you got bullied? It's my fault that your father was a dead beat? You aren't any better than him. You let your wife and her child bully me and you just let it slide. You're a dead beat too, dad,"

Christopher looked downcast at her words.

Akemi didn't like this. She wanted him mad because when he was sad, it made her feel sorry for him. Like when she had been a little girl and he had been miserable over her mother's death. He had been sitting on a chair with his head in his hands and Akemi, little as she was tried to comfort him. Akemi didn't think that he ever remembered that.

"You're right," he murmured.

Akemi tsked in annoyance.

"Akemi," he suddenly said.

She was startled to hear him call her by her Japanese name; he hadn't called her that since her mother was alive. She looked at him. He was smiling sadly and he began to speak in Japanese. Akemi hadn't heard him talk casually like that in many years. Most of the time he would speak in either French or English. He only spoke Japanese if he had to when he was conducting business over the phone.

"More often than you know, when you're not home and it's just me in the house, I remember when your mother died. I remember your little hands in mine, telling me it would be alright,"

So he did remember!

Akemi gave him a suspicious look but he continued speaking, "Imagine a four year old girl comforting me! _I_ should have been the one comforting you,"

Akemi's eyes widened. "You actually remember my age?"

Her father narrowed his eyes. "Of course I do! You're my daughter!"

Akemi shrugged and sighed. Her heart was melting and she was fighting very hard to keep it icy but she was loosing the battle. As his child, she desperately longed for her father's love, despite everything he had done in the past in neglecting and ignoring her.

"It's just hard to think you actually know anything about me," she whispered, the anger gone from her.

Her father reached out and took her hand in his. He lowered his head. "I know I've failed you, in many ways, and I've failed your mother in many ways. I was so caught up in running from the memory of someone I loved dearly, and from my Japanese heritage that I neglected you. Akemi, when I heard that you were hurt, I thought back on all the wrong things I had done to you and I could only feel regret. Would you...forgive his foolish old man?" he requested very humbly.

Akemi gave him a slow look. Then, carefully she asked, "What about your wife and her daughter?"

He was startled. "What about them?"

"They did a lot of bad things to me. What are you going to do about them?"

Her father frowned. "I can't do anything,"

"You can get a divorce,"

Her father immediately dropped her hand. "Akemi, I can't do that,"

She laughed bitterly then. "You didn't even have to think about it, huh? You acted just as I thought you would,"

Christopher watched her confused, so she went onto explain, "You would never put them before me. They did so much to hurt me and you aren't even planning to do something about them. It's as if I'm the problem, I'm the intruder in your life,"

"Akemi, it's a lot you're asking me do," he pointed out.

"I _know_ it's a lot!" she snapped. "but you didn't even have to think to refuse it! You just automatically did! I know that when I come back to your house nothing will change!"

Her father was silent for a moment. Then he tried again, "Akemi, I will speak to your step-mother. We'll work something out,"

"Nothing will work out, dad. She'll just keep twisting you around her little finger and make you bend so that all you will do, is her will. You won't think of me, you'll think of her,"

Her father actually looked hesitant. That meant that what she was saying, was probably very true.

Akemi looked at him coldly.

"Akemi, I will try to do something," he promised and placed his hand on hers.

Akemi shook her head and then sighed as she lay back on her bed. "You won't be doing anything dad. Just forget about it and go home," Tears suddenly came to her eyes and she let them run down her face.

"I wanted you to tell me yes, you know. Even though I knew you would refuse to divorce her. I wanted it to be that you really did love me, that even though you accept that you're a failure as a dad, you would actually do something to make amends," she looked at him now, "you shouldn't have come. I wish you had stayed home instead of building up my hopes that you were becoming a better person."

She removed her hand from his and lay it on her stomach. She turned her head away from him.

"Akemi...I can't really do anything about your step-mother, but if there is some way I can make it up to you..." her father tried.

Akemi glanced at him for a moment. Then she said slowly, "There is a way. I want you to sign the papers for me to become an independent teenager,"

* * *

Kei entered Akemi's room a short time later.

Akemi was lying down, more relaxed than how he had seen her earlier.

"Did something good happen?" he asked.

She smiled at him and nodded. "Yeah. I got my dad to sign the papers for me to become an independent teenager,"

Kei frowned. "How did you manage?"

She shrugged. "Because it was what I wanted, he figured that he should just do this to please me because he could think of no way to make amends for the past,"

"But if you become an independent teen, then you can become independent of him completely once you get a job at sixteen. Isn't that kind of pushing you away?"

"He was unsure about it at first for that very reason but then I reminded him that if he wanted to make amends with me, he needed to do this,"

"Akemi-" Kei began in protest about her actions but she shook her head at him.

"I'm not regretting my decision, Kei because my becoming independent of him does not mean that I am obligated to spend vacations with his rotten wife and brat. Because unlike the dorms for the Junior High kids, they clean out the dorms for the High Schoolers during vacations, I can't return here, but if I have my own place I can leave Europe whenever I want and come back home,"

"It will cost you a lot on the ticket,"

"Dad will pay my airfare and that's it. He said he would work on our relationship so I'm giving him a chance to, but I'm also safeguarding myself. I'm tired of hurting," she said wearily.

Kei took her hand in his and gently stroked it. He smiled kindly. "I hope things work out,"

"So do I," she agreed. "he said he would stay here for the play."

Kei blinked at her. "The play? But you're hurt and the play is today! We haven't even rehearsed the kissing scenes!"

They had decided to save the kissing scenes for last to rehearse on because she and Kei constantly fought about it.

"_A taste of my lips is a taste of heaven!" Kei declared to her during rehearsal. Every watched him in surprise. The guys shook their heads at him, believing him to be a moron while the girls swooned, actually believing him. _

"_I'd rather be in hell then!" Akemi snapped. _

"_W-What? You're refusing **me**? Me and cherry tasting lips?!"_

"_You hate cherries!"_

"_I'll eat them for you, sweet Akemi," he flirted. "all you have to do is. Kiss. Me,"_

_Akemi turned around and walked off in a huff. She was already dressed and figured that she would give Kei sometime to cool his head while she showed Anna her dress._

And it was when she walked off that she had come across Iwao.

Kei suddenly leaned down and kissed her cheek, startling her.

"Kei?" she whispered, blushing.

He smiled kindly. "This should be alright, right? Even if it's not cherry-flavored lips,"

Akemi beamed at him.

Kei's gentleness was very sweet, and very genuine.

* * *

Anna and Mikoto sat in front row for the play.

Mikoto had slept away and his head was resting on Anna's shoulder. It was not surprising. He wasn't really one to be intrigued by something so sickeningly romantic.

Akemi had been healed up properly enough for her to move around, but they had adjusted the scenes so that most of the time she would be sitting instead of standing. Her dress was also long sleeved so it hid up her bandages.

Akemi and Kei acted everything out beautiful. Even the flirtations scenes.

"_Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake," _Akemi/Juliet was saying to Kei.

"_Then move not while my prayers' effect I take,"_ Kei/Romeo said and moved to gently kiss Akemi's cheek.

Somewhere to the back, Yata made an irritated sound. "Why am I watching this lovey-dovey crap?"

Beside him, Emi whispered, quite fascinated, "I think it's beautiful,"

Yata felt a little downcast that he could coax her into sneaking outside with him but he figured that if she could stand by and praise him for hours as he skateboarded then he could put up with a shitty play.

Even though the pair who were playing Romeo and Juliet were actually very cute and sweet. Yata supposed that if he actually understood what they were saying, he could probably judge it the play itself better.

Nah, he thought, thinking it over. Even if he really understood it, he would hate it. He would take an action movie over this play any day.

"Hey Emi?" Yata whispered.

She looked at him with her big, pretty eyes.

Yata blushed deeply and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh...you see, technically I'm not an assistant coach anymore, but Natsume-san is letting me attend the dance tomorrow...I can't dance, but...uh would you like to you know..."

"Yes!" Emi replied with a brilliant smile.

Yata's face lit up at her words.

* * *

Fushimi, sitting across the room could see Yata and Emi perfectly. He shuddered at the sickening lovey-dovey, innocent scene going on between those two. It was even worse than the couple who were onstage.

"I never thought anything could shake you, Fushimi-san," Chie said beside him.

He glanced at her. "Why are you sitting next to me?" he demanded.

Chie wasn't at all offended by his words, much to his chagrin. In fact, she smiled. She smiled a lot more today when he saw her.

It made him feel funny inside and that frightened him.

"Maybe I like sitting next to you, Fushimi-san,"

And it irritated him when she called him 'Fushimi-san'. It sounded so damned formal!

Of course Fushimi wasn't going to say anything to her about that.

And what was this thing about her saying that she liked sitting next to him?

He was feeling funny inside.

Suddenly, Chie laughed, surprising him. It was a very feminine, tinkling noise and that somehow soothed his thoughts.

"You look like an uncomfortable monkey, Fushimi-san!" she whispered.

Fushimi glared at her.

But she continued smiling calmly, and rather maturely. "Don't worry, I won't say things to make you feel strange anymore," she assured him. Her face returned to being serious, but Fushimi's eyes remained on her.

He reached out suddenly and gently stroked a strand of her hair.

She looked at him in surprise.

"Fushimi-san?"

"Saruhiko,"

"What?"

He deliberately pushed his face closer to hers. "The name's Saruhiko,"

Fushimi knew that she would become uncomfortable at their closeness and she reacted just as he had wanted-she pulled away and glared at him.

Fushimi smirked, hoping that she enjoyed being the uncomfortable one now.

Chie tsked. "Yata-sensei mentioned that you were really a tax parasite,"

Fushimi stiffened at her words. "What?"

Chie smirked at him then. "He called you a-"

"I heard you! When did you talk to him?!"

"I didn't. Emi mentioned it to me last night after Natsume-sensei and Awashima-sensei interrogated us,"

Fushimi scowled. He was gonna get that illiterate brat! Yes, he thought of Yata Misaki as illiterate compared to his standards.

And he was _short_.

Oh yes, that brat was _short_.

Fushimi wished him _short_ lived happiness based on his _short_ stature.

"I guess I was quite wrong about nothing shaking you, Saruhiko," Chie remarked.

Fushimi's eyes shot to hers.

Then he grinned slowly. He caught her chin in his hand and brought his face closer to hers. "Is that so, Chie-chan?"

Chie was about to snarl at him and he was waiting for it when the two suddenly just stopped and gazed at each other for a long, long moment.

Abruptly, they broke eye contact.

Both of their cheeks were red.

"Er...what did Natsume-san tell you?" he asked her.

Chie replied, glad for the distraction of idle talk, "That you're really twenty one and that you belong to Scepter 4. I don't know much about it, I only know a little. You also have some high rank there,"

Fushimi didn't say anything.

"We were warned to not talk about it," Chie added.

Fushimi looked at her.

"Natsume-sensei said that we can speak to you about it but only for up to the time you are here. After that, we can't talk about any of things or she will have to wipe our memories clean,"

He wasn't surprised that Natsume Yuki was allowing for them to retain their memories. She was a kind woman, but she was not foolish. She would let them keep their memories, but would monitor them closely. She, despite being a Red Clan member, did have the jurisdiction to erase or leave their memories because they were her responsibility while they attended Seneca and she had been given special privileges by the Gold King who seemed to really trust her judgement.

Fushimi frowned. "Don't you want to forget an unpleasant guy like me?"

Chie looked a bit wistful. "I don't think you'e really unpleasant, Saruhiko,"

Fushimi wasn't able to say anything to that for his face was completely red, as was hers.

* * *

Yuki Natsume sat in front with her husband. She sighed in relief. This entire incident was more or less over and now she could relax a little. There was just the dance on Friday, and by then, everything should be sorted out. But for now, she was glad that they had overcome their biggest problem: Iwao Orochi.

Close by also sat Christopher Hisoka, Akemi's father. He was following Akemi's movements and seemed to be thoroughly impressed and interested. Yuki knew that things hadn't gone all that well between him and his daughter during his visit, but he was here now and taking an interest in what she was doing. It was a start.

Her eyes fell on her favorite teenage pair who were sitting to her side. Not at all surprised by Mikoto's nap, nor Anna's willingness to lend her shoulder, the principal smiled. The most interesting thing in the room was these two.

She wondered what their future was going to be like.

* * *

_**A/N: I wanted to post up this chapter sooner, but every time I tried working on it, I kept getting interrupted. So, at long last, here is this chapter. Soon, the story will come to an end in about two or three chapters (hopefully). **_

**_I know that a lot of people are going to find Mikoto as being too mean because he made Anna cry, but try to keep in mind how he must have felt, especially as Izumo said, she is precious to them. _**

**_Thanks so much for all the reviews, follows and favorites, I truly appreciate it! You all motivate me to keep on writing. I love you ALL._**

**_For those of you who are wanting to know if there's going to be more romance between Yata and Emi and Fushimi and Chie in the sequel, the answer is not really. I'll probably mention them if necessary or if I think they could be useful to the plot in some way, but for now, the answer is no. Sorry if that disappoints you :/ _**

**_For those who reviewed:_**

**Narunosuke-Namikaze-Uchiha: Thanks for your review! Now you know why they're both mad and yes! iwao is gone! Hope you liked this chapter :)**

**danihasacookie: I'm glad you liked the chapter and that you felt that everything came together nicely! Thanks so much. Sorry for the cliffhanger. I don't really like doing cliffhangers, but sometimes I can't help it. I do try to update quickly whenever I leave a cliffhanger because I dislike them a lot as well. Akemi and Kei are definitely keeping their memories of Anna :)**

**Arius the Heretic: Hope you enjoyed the fluff in this chapter and sorry for the lack of it in the last chapter! I explained in the A/N about Chie and Fushimi. I hope that whatever else I write in again in this story would still satisfy you. By the way, I haven't properly ended the love triangle with Seri, Izumo and Reisi *hint* *hint*. You'll understand by probably the next chapter (well I hope to deal with it in the next chapter).**

**WitchyCloudPine: I'm glad you're excited! I'm excited too, and hearing you're excited makes me even more excited!**

**Hodgeheg: I really hadn't meant to take this long to update after a cliffhanger. i wanted the chapter up since yesterday...but circumstances arose and got in the way :/ Well, try to update more often then. What series do you write fanfics for? I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you :) I'm glad you liked those parts in the last chapter :)**

**Indochine: I'm glad you liked the ending up of it! The story will be finished soon. Mikoto is still fourteen. Sorry, I wasn't really clear on that in the last chapter :/ But he'll be back to normal soon ;) Yes, Anna will continue to go to school without those guys. You'll understand soon with the next chapter or two. I'm glad you like Yata and Emi! PS: I watched two episodes of psycho pass. It's a bit...gory, but it looks interesting so I'll watch some more episodes soon :) You take care as well, and let me know what you thought of this chapter :)**

**GroundZeroFirework: Hi, thanks so much for reviewing and I appreciate your thoughtful words! Thanks again, and I think this chapter would have given you a bit of insight into Akemi's standing with her dad right now. **

**Shiary: I'm glad to hear from you! Glad you liked the chap! Well, she didn't pout...she cried! Hope you enjoyed this chapter though :)**

**sereneskydragonslayer: I hope you were well prepared for the yelling. Yep, Anna's pretty rash lately :)**

**laxus23: yeah, they were both mad ;)**

**xNightDreamerx: It's called being 'clinically insane' where even if you know you should stop and you don't because you won't and you reach a point where you just can't, something's messed up with your head and you need to go to a mental hospital. Iwao admitted to that much himself. Anyway, thanks for reviewing and I do appreciate your thoughts on the Iwao and I'm really glad that you paid a lot of attention to his character. Thanks so much :)**

**D: For chapter 43-I take it you were pleasantly surprised :) for chapter 44-I'm glad you liked those parts. People really are like that in real life. I myself am far from perfect, but it's only human to be like that and make mistakes. The important thing is to look to God, try to get the answers and pull our heads together. Iwao's a bit different from us though. He had already kinda mad :/ Anyway, thanks for reviewing and I'm glad you like how things are going, and thanks for those wonderful words about the chapters. I truly appreciate them :)**

**lilkitty: I'm glad you're looking forward to the sequel! Well i answered some of the stuff on Yata and the others in the A/N. As for romance between Anna and Mikoto...well, I don't want to give out a lot of info and spoil it for you, but I think that you will enjoy the sequel if you want to see some stuff happen with those two ;) Thanks for your lovely words :)**

**Little Weirdo: Yes, it's gonna end soon. Hearing your excitement over my excitement for the sequel makes me even more excited :)**

**Ashley xo: Hi, thanks for reading and reviewing and I appreciate your lovely words on this story! That really means a lot to me! And good luck with your school work and exams (I also have my own coming up :/)!**

**nannerlovessnickers: I'm glad you're looking forward to the sequel. I'm also really looking forward to your Skip Beat fanfic! Make sure to let me know when you've posted it up!**

**creativeactive: Thanks! I never really thought that I'd make it to this far either. I had been hoping that this story would end up just being up to about twenty chapters long, but because I ended up adding in a lot of flashbacks and because i extended the plot to Iwao, it ended up going to 44+ now. I have no regrets about that though. About Iwao...hm, I didn't really base him on anyone, but I will try to figure out an anime character who could close resemble him so that it might help you visualize him better. Okay, the best I could come up with was a guy named Duo Maxwell. You can google him. But that's only for his hair color and the length of his hair. Iwao has hair like that, but it's not really braided and it's probably a bit shorter like to the middle of his back. He is also very pale, a bit taller and a little more slim. That's the best I can come up with. Hope that helps :)**

**Mienchan-ish: Now you know why he's mad at Anna. But now he isn't really anymore! Thanks for reviewing :) PS: Anna really is like an angel, or a princess :)**

_**Thanks again and let me know your thoughts on this chapter.**_

_**Take care and God bless :)**_


	46. Dances, Kisses and Lovesick Fools

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_Rated 'T'_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

**Chapter 46: Dances, Kisses and Lovesick Fools**

Mikoto didn't know how it became like this.

He was in Seneca Town on Thursday afternoon and he was standing in a drug store with Kei Junichi of all people.

And Izumo. But Izumo had gotten lost somewhere in the somewhat small store.

"_You all have to go shopping to get your things ready for the dance!" Natsume told Mikoto, Izumo and Anna._

_The three were sitting on the couch in her living room, munching on some potato chips._

"_I don't think I need to get anything," Izumo commented._

"_You dress like a host anyway," Mikoto muttered as he grabbed a handful of chips. _

_Before Izumo could snarl something in reply, Natsume explained, "Izumo you will be chaperone then,"_

_Izumo frowned. "To who? Anna and Mikoto?"_

"_No, to Mikoto and Kei," Natsume replied and moved back to reveal the smiling young man who could have been Tatara's carbon copy._

Mikoto had gotten past a lot of his initial dislike for Kei to tolerate his presence. Izumo accepted him but there was no doubt that the King and his clansman were a bit put off by the uncanny acts and behavior of the teenage boy that were so reminiscent of their deceased friend.

Meanwhile, Anna had gone her own way shopping with Natsume.

Akemi didn't have to do any shopping because her father had specially ordered a dress for her as an apology to her for being a man with simply words but no action.

"Ah, Mikoto-san, where is that sensei?" Kei asked as he wandered around the store. Izumo had insisted the come into the pharmacy after they had gotten their clothes and shoes, but Kei didn't really understand why they needed to get medicine.

However, Mikoto pointed to the back of the store where all the condoms were.

Izumo had a delighted smirk on his face and he even chuckled to himself from time to time as he checked out the different brands.

In truth, Izumo looked like a total pervert. He was even blushing at his own dirty thoughts.

"Whoa, I didn't think Kusanagi-sensei was such a hentai," Kei commented behind him.

Izumo was so startled that he dropped his box of condoms.

"Wha-?! What are you two doing here?!" he demanded as he hurriedly picked up the box and tried to hide in front of him so that the two behind him wouldn't see.

"We're waiting on you," Mikoto reminded him.

Suddenly, another voice asked, "Kusanagi? What are you doing?"

Izumo turned his head like a robot to find that Seri Awashima was standing nearby, close to the cashier who was located at the back of the store with them.

"Ah, Seri-chan, fancy meeting you here," he commented nervously.

Seri twitched slightly when she saw the box he had in his hands.

"What is that?" she asked lowly and took a step toward him.

He chuckled awkwardly. "Nothing to be worried abou-! Hey, no!"

Seri snatched away the box from him. Her eyes widened before she proceeded to pelt the box at him.

"_A megabox of a hundred condoms?!_ What the hell are you doing, Izumo? Going to a whorehouse?" she demanded.

Izumo fumbled to catch the box. "Of course not!"

"Then what are you doing?!" Suddenly, Seri stopped. She shook her head as a sudden realization came upon her. "You couldn't have been thinking-"

Izumo reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand. "I'll be gentle with a virgin like you," he promised.

She slapped away his hand. "Iwao isn't here anymore to awaken any 'desires' you might have had for me, Izumo, so you can forget about it!"

Suddenly the cashier appeared behind the counter and interrupted her, "Oh miss, we've filled out the 6 month supply of birth control you wanted,"

Seri looked uncomfortable.

Izumo smirked. "Expecting something, Seri-chan?"

She scowled and snatched away her pills as she whipped out her wallet.

Mikoto grabbed Kei's arm and pulled him to a different section. He really didn't want to watch Izumo get all stupid and lovesick again. He had been hoping that his second in command had only acted that way because of Iwao's powers' effect but it seemed that Izumo was either really a lovesick moron, or he was still feeling some aftereffects of that power.

"It's none of your business," Seri snapped at Izumo.

Izumo folded his arms and Seri tried hard to not blush when she saw the way his biceps bunched tightly around the material of his shirt.

"Does it have something to do with that King of yours?" he asked as she finished paying the bill.

"Are you going to give me another hickey if I told you yes?" she shot back and turned to go.

Izumo caught her wrist in a tight hold and she glared at him.

However, he simply looked at her with a calm smile and waited for her to answer.

"It's a girl related problem," she explained, not really sure why she felt obligated to explain. Izumo looked confused. Blushing furiously, she continued, "My cycle is irregular so I'm taking birth control pills to regulate them."

Izumo let her go, feeling a little ashamed now of himself.

"Ah, sorry,"

"You should be," Seri stated and glared at the box under his arm.

Izumo began to sweat a little and under her cold gaze, he figured that he ought to replace the box.

"Awashima-kun, why are you here?" came a familiar voice.

Everyone turned to see that Reisi had entered the store as well.

Seri's face grew even redder.

"No significant reason, captain," she answered.

He gave her a slow look. "If you have what you came for, we can leave together after I get what I need," he suggested.

Seri paused, then nodded.

Izumo sighed and paid for his purchase.

"Buying out the house?" Reisi commented behind him.

Izumo chuckled. "Maybe I'm hoping to get lucky,"

"As long as it's not with any young schoolgirls,"

Izumo picked up his purchase from the counter.

"Of course not, Munakata," he responded and moved to go.

Seri waited patient nearby.

"Go, I'll wait," Reisi said, startling her.

She glanced at him. "What?"

Reisi looked at her with understanding eyes. "You have something to say to him, don't you? You may not have that opportunity again,"

Seri hesitated and then nodded. She hurried off.

* * *

Izumo paused when he realized that as he stepped out of the store, Kei and Mikoto were not with him.

Instead, he smelled a very familiar perfume.

"Seri-chan, I'm flattered you've come after me," he remarked and turned around, smiling widely.

Seri sighed and walked up to him. Izumo was tall, significantly taller than her but the two of them could have very imposing atmospheres. Izumo's flirtatiousness and friendliness tended to cover up his, unless he got angry and was in a fight.

Seri usually tended to be like that, simply because she was never one to hide up herself.

"I'm leaving today," she explained.

Izumo was taken aback. He glanced at his purchase that was in a black bag and sighed regretfully.

Seri scowled. "I know that Iwao's gone but if you really hit on me because you wanted to screw with me, then you're a real low bastard, Kusanagi!" she spat and moved to go.

However, Izumo caught her wrist in his hand, stopping her.

"What if I said that it wasn't you I bought this for?"

Seri stiffened.

She didn't say anything, but Izumo walked to stand right behind her, his body mere centimeters away so that she could still fell his warmth exuding behind her.

She felt his hot breath on her ear.

"Would you be jealous?"

"As if," she scoffed and tried to pry her hand away, but Izumo used it to spin her around easily. He jammed her against the wall using his body and kept her hand behind her back, trapping her.

Seri couldn't meet his eyes for her face was completely red.

She pressed her free hand against his shoulder.

He was very strong and a lot stronger than her. She would have liked to think that they were evenly matched in a fight, but Izumo could easily overpower her.

"Stop," she whispered.

Izumo caught the side of her face in his and and forced her to look at him.

"I do want you, and you know that. You've known that since that time in the alley but I know that your heart will always be with Scepter 4 and it where you truly belong. I would never lure you away from there, no matter what my own heart says to me because I can't defy the logic of my brain. Do you understand that?"

Seri nodded. She certainly did. Izumo was a very intelligent man and he had a lot of common sense. He thought things through and was normally ten steps ahead of his enemies. Seri envied him for that ability.

"Iwao's effect on his made me loose my sense of logic. I knew that you belonged to Scepter 4, but all I could think of at that time was having you to myself. I did the opposite of what I would never have wanted to do-I confused your heart and wanted to take you away from Munakata Reisi,"

"And now, Izumo, what do you feel?" she asked looking up at him.

He smiled grimly. "That I shouldn't be here with you like this. That I should just leave you alone,"

Seri lifted her hand and gently brushed away some of his soft hair from his forehead.

"The captain allowed me to take a temporary leave of absence to think things over with what I want to do with my future,"

Izumo's eyebrows lifted in surprise.

Seri smiled gently, and a bit wistfully. "He's told me that if I still want to leave Scepter 4 after that, he will let me go,"

"Have you thought of what you wanted to do?"

Seri sighed. "No,"

"I guess your leave of absence should be very welcomed then,"

She nodded.

She was shocked when Izumo's warm mouth was suddenly covering hers, so unexpectedly. Her first instinct had been to shove him off, but as his lips slanted over hers, she found that she willing parted her lips and suddenly, his tongue was stroking against hers slowly, gently and deeply. She was held in his arms, and being kissed thoroughly.

Normally, she would push him away and glare, but she couldn't this time. For a long time now, she had wanted this, this one kiss with Izumo.

Slowly, he released her.

She was a bit breathless and her cheeks were scarlet.

Izumo smirked and gently stroked her slightly swollen mouth with his thumb. "Whatever happens and whatever your decision is, Seri-chan, I'll always be at Homra with a carton of red bean paste waiting for you,"

Seri smiled softly and Izumo found himself a bit startled. He had expected her to punch the daylights out of him.

But she didn't.

"Thank you, Izumo," she murmured.

He nodded and withdrew himself from her, taking away the warmth of his body.

The door opened and out came Mikoto and Reisi who were insulting each other.

"I'm not the one who had to buy viagra," Mikoto was telling Reisi.

"You ignorant buffoon. It wasn't viagra!" he snapped.

"Then what was it?"

"Cold medicine," he responded.

"Didn't look like that, Munakata,"

"It would only be expected that the leader of a pack of thugs would have such dirty thoughts. Is that even alright, considering that you have a little girl in your midst,"

Mikoto snorted, "No one has those thoughts around her,"

Seriously, Reisi then questioned, "What about when she gets older?"

Mikoto narrowed his eyes. "We're men but we're not as stupid as you think, Reisi. I thought you would have realized that by now,"

Seri figured that she should intervene before those two argued more.

"Uh...Captain, it's time we go,"

"Yes," Reisi agreed.

He curtly bid the others farewell and as he walked away, Kei appeared, obviously confused by the arguing between those two.

Izumo watched as they walked off.

"Getting a last look at her ass?" Mikoto asked him as he came to stand beside him with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Shut-up, Mikoto," Izumo growled although his cheeks had a tell-tale blush on them.

"Who are the condoms for?" Mikoto questioned.

Izumo glanced at his purchase. Well, some of it had been for himself but it looked like he was going to get 'lucky' like he wanted to.

"Chitose,"

"Chitose?"

"Yeah. He called me up begging for them,"

"_Izumo, I can't take it anymore! My little friend is miserable!" Chitose was sobbing over the phone. _

"_Why don't you get them yourself?" Izumo demanded. _

"_Because Seneca sells the best and safest brand!"_

_Izumo scowled. Condoms, of all things?_

"_Just buy a big box! I just need to keep the little guy happy! Can't you understand that?"_

"_Maybe you should learn a little abstinence! Haven't you ever been worried about getting an STD from all those escapades you had before you settled with Maria?"_

"_I did. I made sure to get tested regularly. But come on Kusanagi-san! Maria and I can't do anything until she gets a better birth control prescription. This new one hasn't been agreeing with her,"_

_Izumo rolled his eyes. "Fine,"_

"_And the biggest box too, okay?"_

"_Alright, alright,"_

_"I'll give you half," Chitose promised as compensation. _

_"Deal," Izumo responded without hesitation. _

Izumo caught sight of Anna's young friend smiling so familiarly at them.

"Something's funny?" he questioned.

Kei's smile only broadened. "I was just thinking that Anna's probably never bored with you guys around."

Izumo snorted. That was probably true.

* * *

Reisi caught hold of Seri's shoulder a short distance away. She glanced at him.

"Sir?"

A slight wind blew, rustling the Blue King's rich black hair slightly.

He adjusted his glasses with his free hand before moving it upward to push some of his hair out of his eyes.

He looked at her. "Did it go well with Kusanagi?"

She recalled being kissed and was glad that she hadn't opted to wear more than a little chapstick today on her lips otherwise her face, as well as Izumo's would have been smeared.

She blushed slightly. "It did,"

"Are you leaving Scepter 4?"

"I don't know," she replied honestly.

Reisi sighed. "I know you had feelings for the Red Clan's second in command and I knew that if Kusanagi tried, he could take you away from the Blue Clan,"

Seri smiled a little sadly. "I know you want me in the Blue Clan,"

Reisi caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilted her head upward. She was surprised to see a warm, gentle look in Reisi's eyes.

"I _need_ you in the Blue Clan, Awashima-kun, but I also recognize you as a woman,"

Her eyes widened slightly.

"I didn't want you to go, and yes I was telling you that I would become the man in your life that you needed because I was so desperate to keep you in the clan. But that's not all...I desperately wanted you at my side, as my woman because I value you for both your abilities as my Vice Commander, as well as your caring nature as a female,"

"Captain-"

He cut her off and kissed the very corner of her mouth lightly. She blushed as she felt his warmth and his scent which was different from Izumo's.

He smiled kindly. "I think this is enough for now. Take the time off, Seri. Whatever decision you make, if to remain at my side or leave, I will respect,"

* * *

Anna walked down the staircase, feeling almost like a fairy tale princess as she did so. She was not wearing on a gown as it was not that formal of a dance. However, she was more worried about what Mikoto would say when he saw the dress for it while it was not indecent, it did reveal a lot more of her body than he would probably have liked.

The dress was made of a taffeta material. It was obviously red and had a straight-line bodice. It covered up her breasts quite decently, but as it was an off-shouldered strapped dress, much of her chest was revealed. She really did not know what Mikoto was going to say other than that she was probably underaged for such a dress.

The material was ruffled with a smooth layer over it and there was a black ribbon that went around the sides at her petite waist that drew up at the top of the bodice where it formed a delicate black flower.

Her hair was combed out and curtained around her beautifully. Natsume had insisted that she wear a little make up but Anna only allowed for a little pink lipstick as not only did she not need heavy make up due to her natural prettiness, she also did not care for it.

Her ears were not pierced, but she did have on a simple silver chain about her neck. Finally, her shoes were simply black slingbacks.

All in all, Anna was very beautiful tonight.

At least that was what Mikoto thought when he saw her walk down the stairs.

She was revealing a lot more her body than he would have liked, especially those legs of hers that he just knew were going to be shapely and long when she got older.

Mikoto also knew that she was being shy as she came to stand before him for her feet were turned inward slightly, something he rarely saw her do anymore.

Her cheeks were slightly red as she awaited his words.

Mikoto himself was looking rather...dashing.

He had gotten a black tux but the interior vest inside was red, as well as his tie while the shirt was white. It fit him perfectly and didn't hide up his broad shoulders.

His hair was combed as neatly as Mikoto's hair could get-meaning it looked just slightly smoother. Still, he looked very handsome.

Mikoto sighed and placed a gentle hand on her head. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead.

"You look nice," he assured her.

Very much in a demure manner she nodded, "So does Mikoto,"

Mikoto held out his hand to hers and she accepted it. They were about to leave when suddenly, Izumo appeared, looking quite smart in a white suit with a black shirt and hugged Anna tightly. "Anna you look so beautiful!" he exclaimed.

Natsume as well as her husband entered the room. She wore on a long, thin strapped pale pink gown while Haru opted for a grey suit.

"Picture time!" she informed them brightly and had Izumo and Mikoto stand at Anna's sides with their arms around her shoulders.

There followed one with just Anna and Mikoto, then Haru, Natsume herself and Ryosuke, and at long last, they left for the ball.

* * *

The dance was to start of very formally with the ballroom dancing that had been taught to the students. Anna was already on the floor, dancing with Mikoto who was holding her gently as they moved with perfect rhythm to the music.

The room was lit with different colored lights and there were balloons, streamers and a huge table layered with what seemed like endless finger food and drinks.

Fushimi, who was munching on some olives, glanced at the couple who had just entered. It was Yata and Emi.

"I wish today wasn't your last day here," Emi was saying sadly. She looked very lovely in the blue strapless she had chosen for the dance. It fell too a little past her knees with a slightly ruffled skirt.

Yata, short as ever, dressed in a red suit with a black vest inside, smiled sadly.

"I wish so as well,"

"Then go back to school. You'll be welcomed here. I'm sure Natsume-san would welcome you into the junior high," Fushimi commented to their side as he munched on another olive.

Yata whipped around at the sound of his former friend's words.

"Saru?! What the hell are you doing here?! I though the Blues went back home yesterday,"

Fushimi, popped another olive in his mouth as he walked up to Yata. "I wanted to stay a bit longer,"

"Was Chie the reason?" Emi asked him.

Fushimi actually looked uncomfortable. "No," he obviously lied.

Yata smirked deviously. "Oh, is that so? Does Fushimi-kun have a thing for a girl?"

Fushimi wanted to so badly to beat the crap out of Yata but because he was here with permission from a red clansman, usurping the current peace would land him in more trouble than necessary so he struggled to hold himself in.

"What about you, Misaki? You finally got yourself a girlfriend?"

Yata looked a little embarrassed. He blushed and glanced at Emi who was also trying to hide her red cheeks.

"Uh...that's none of your business, Saru!"

Fushimi tsked. "I guess that a flat-chested girlfriend is better than no girlfriend,"

Emi gasped in mortification while Yata immediately grabbed Fushimi by the shirtfront, much to Fushimi's satisfaction.

"Shut your mouth about her, damn monkey!"

"Then come at me and defend your flat chested woman, Misakiii!"

Suddenly, another voice cut in. "You really are obsessed with that guy, Fushimi-san,"

Fushimi calmly removed Yata's hands from him as he turned to see Chie, dressed in a pretty black cocktail dress with a silver belt under the chest area standing there.

"It's Saruhiko," he corrected her.

"And why were you looking at Emi's chest?" she demanded.

"Would you have preferred me to look at yours?" he asked.

She gasped and immediately crossed her arms over her upperbody.

Yata, meanwhile turned to Emi. He held out his hand to hers and she accepted it. The both of them made their way to the dance-floor, leaving the pair to argue.

"You're here all alone, aren't you?" Chie asked.

He shrugged. "Maybe. What about you? Couldn't get a date?"

"Didn't have time to get a date,"

"Or did no one want to go with you?"

"That's none of your business, Saruhiko!" she finally snapped.

Fushimi gave her an assessing look before holding his hand out to hers. "Dance?"

Chie glanced at his hand and then accepted it without any argument. "Why not?"

* * *

Anna would normally feel cold in such clothing but Mikoto's arms around her were warm. They swayed to the beat of the music.

"What's wrong?" Mikoto asked her quietly.

She looked up at his handsome face. "Aren't you upset about the clothes?"

Mikoto sighed wearily. "You're with me. It's fine,"

Anna's face softened at his words.

Mikoto's strong arm around her waist brought her closer to him. "Just don't make it a habit,"

Anna was about to smile when she someone bumped into her from the back. She gasped and Mikoto caught her in his arms and glared at the person.

"Ah, Mikoto-san! I'm so sorry! Akemi was just arguing about how she could have gotten a better date than me!" Kei was saying.

He had his caramel colored hair slicked back and was dressed in a pale blue suit with a black shirt.

"That's because you said that you felt like you had no choice to take me! As if I'm that pathetic!" Akemi shot back and Kei laughed.

Anna looked around at her friends. Akemi was dressed in a one shouldered dress that had a purple bodice and skirt, but there was a gold wraparound material at the waist. Her long golden hair was done up into a proper knot with little curls left to fall loosely around her face.

"Kei should be happy with such a pretty date," Anna remarked.

Akemi's face lit up and Kei blushed. "Well...she should be happy with such a handsome date too. Right?"

Anna nodded and Mikoto swirled her away.

Yata was dancing with that girl he liked and unfortunately, he wasn't the best dancer and kept stepping on her feet.

Fushimi passed by, quite gracefully and said something along the lines of, 'You won't keep your flat chested girl if you dance like that' to which his (Fushimi's) date responded by deliberately slamming her foot into his toe.

He winced in pain and glared at her while Yata laughed at him. There proceeded to be an argument and then what looked like Yata chasing after Fushimi while their dance partners watched on. Chie looked on with a weary look on her face while Emi smiled awkwardly.

"May I have this dance?" came Izumo's voice, interrupting her and Mikoto.

Mikoto glanced at Izumo and replied flatly, "No,"

"Dumbass! It's my turn with Anna!"

With that, he snatched away the girl he took under his wing and swept her away for a dance. He smiled down at her.

"Anna you've grown tall," he commented.

She nodded.

He sighed and looked a bit sad. "You're growing up already, and so beautifully in such a short space of time,"

Anna tilted her head to the side. "I'm still me,"

Izumo looked a little cheered up by her words. "Yes, you most definitely are,"

Because Anna, despite looking older now, was still pretty much the same person. She still retained the same personality with quietness and politeness and a doll-like face. After all, Anna was already an adult on the inside and that was what had helped him to get along with her over the years.

Normally Izumo was not one to really know how to get along with real children.

'_Real_' meant children who were physically less than twelve because those guys who came to his bar acted like little brats instead of grown men.

"Kusanagi-sensei, how come you're dancing with her? Can't we dance with you too?" other girls interrupted them.

Izumo grinned. "Sorry girls, tonight my only dance partner shall be Anna,"

"What's so special about her?" one girl demanded.

Izumo chuckled delightfully. "Don't you know? Anna is my baby sister!"

The girls who had come over were in shock.

Izumo swept her away as a waltz started.

"Was it alright to tell them that?" she asked him.

"Yes. Their memories of us are going to be altered soon,"

"How?"

"The Gold King provided some reinforcements,"

A short time later as she was returned to Mikoto, she realized who those reinforcements were; Neko appeared, alongside Shiro and Kuro.

All three were dressed casually although Neko appeared to be twisting the edges of her clothing in discomfort.

They made their way to the stage as all the students stopped and watched in awe at the three good-looking people who came into the room.

Shiro, as Adolf K Weissman once more, leaned down and whispered something in Neko's ear. She blushed slightly and released the edge of her regular yellow dress and nodded. Shiro smiled and drew back.

The music changed and the students cheered as it turned out to be more modern mainstream music.

"That's our cue to go," Izumo said to Anna and Mikoto.

They nodded.

Anna saw Akemi and Kei and waved them over for them to follow. Izumo also motioned for Emi and Chie to come as well since Yata and Fushimi were fighting outside.

"Both of you are virgins, I don't know how your first time would go," Fushimi was saying pitifully to Yata.

Yata had him by the collar and was shaking him, but Fushimi seemed to be undaunted.

"Don't go saying things so casually! If we have to do something like that then I would rather be married before we do it!"

"Misaki," came a familiar feminine voice.

Yata glanced around to see the girl in question looking at him shyly. Yata looked at her with embarrassment.

"Ah, Emi-chan...I...er, did you hear all of that?" he asked her as he walked over to her.

In reply, she kissed him on his cheek, making him stutter and blush.

"Thank you, Misaki,"

Fushimi tsked. How come Yata didn't yell at her for calling him by his girly given name that he hated so much?

Well, love did make people stupid, Fushimi acknowledged.

"Saruhiko," Chie voiced his name.

He glanced at her. She held out something on a piece of paper to him and looked away with rosy cheeks. He accepted it and opened it. It was a phone number and an email address.

"I heard you were leaving tonight. Not that I care or anything. Just wanted to give you my number...just in case you're ever here again-not that I'd _want_ to see you,"

Fushimi glanced at her. "Give me your phone,"

She frowned. "What?"

"Let me see your phone,"

She searched in her bag and handed it to him. He switched it on, fiddled with it for a few moments and handed it to her, blushing as well.

"Just in case you're in a tight spot that you can't get out of...not that I would care...well it would be my duty to come help you," Fushimi was saying.

Chie accepted her phone as well, quite bashful herself.

Izumo watched the two couples and sighed. They were a bunch of lovesick fools.

He saw Mikoto take Anna's wrist in his hand and lead her away.

Akemi and Kei were about to follow, but Izumo placed his arms around their shoulders.

"Going somewhere, kids?"

"We wanted to hang out with Anna and Mikoto-san," Kei replied.

"You guys need to stay here for a while. Don't ask any questions, just leave it be. But you can tell me more about yourselves. After all, I'm Anna's big brother. I'd like to get to know you better,"

* * *

It was dark out save for the light of the full bright moon.

"Your feet hurt," Mikoto stated as he led her along the silvery path in the forest.

"No," she denied, but it was obvious she was lying.

In response, Mikoto sighed and slowed down until he was standing at her side instead of walking beside her. He then released her wrist and drew off his black jacket which he slung over her shoulders. It cascaded around her body and she was warmed by his lingering heat that remained on it. She blinked up at him.

"Mikoto?"

"You're cold," he stated and took his hand in hers. He threaded his fingers through hers.

"This is better, right?"

Shyly, she nodded and they slowly continued walking down this vaguely familiar path. It was then that she realized that they were coming to the waterfall where she had come across Fushimi nearly two weeks ago.

In the shimmering moonlight, it was a breathtaking sight. The sky was clear and that fully silver globe of the moon was reflected on the lightly rippling water of the plunge pool. The only sounds were the sound of the waterfall and the insects that chirped in the night.

Anna remained awed by the sight for a long time. It did not matter that she could not see in color for this scenery did not require color as it was dark and white, just as her own world was.

Mikoto placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him with very rosy cheeks. She didn't know why he brought her out here. It was very uncharacteristic of him.

"I won't be fourteen anymore soon," he told her quietly.

Anna made a soft noise of assertion.

"You'll miss me," he stated.

"Yes," she confirmed sadly.

Mikoto gently stroked the top of her hair in response and Anna realized that he must have brought her out here to cheer her up a bit.

"Mikoto, did you like being with me?" she asked hesitantly.

He glanced at her. "Yeah,"

Anna took hold of the sleeve of his shirt and gripped it tightly. She loved his twenty six year old self very much and she perceived no difference between him and his fourteen year old counterpart save for the different body size; after all, they were one and the same person.

But with this Mikoto...things were a little different. He didn't treat her like a child so much and he didn't mind getting a little rough with her.

It wasn't that she liked him being mean to her, she just preferred that he not treat her like a fragile existence because she was no longer such a helpless child.

She did not expect older Mikoto to see her as a woman, and the adult person she was inside of her young body could acknowledge that.

With fourteen year old Mikoto, things were definitely a bit different...he treated her a bit differently because he saw her on a different level as there was only a tiny age gap between them. She saw him more often and interacted with him more often on a different level.

He was still very protective of her, but he was not restrictive. He was gentle with her, as was he rough and...he kissed her.

She had never expected to be kissed on the lips by Mikoto at such a young age, but it had happened. She had never really thought of being kissed like that by him before because she never allowed them because she would be wishing for the unthinkable at such a young age.

"Anna?" Mikoto voice her name.

In reply, she moved to her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his briefly, shocking him as well as herself for her spur of the moment behavior. When she drew back she told him, "I needed chapstick,"

"You have on lipstick," he pointed out.

Anna's eyes widened and she wanted to run, but there was no way she was getting far from him in those heels she had on.

Before she think of a response, Mikoto grasped hold of her shoulders and pulled her to him. He covered her mouth with his, surprising her.

Mikoto abruptly moved back and let her go. He turned away.

"I don't know what this is," he muttered.

Anna didn't know what to say. He lifted his head and looked at the moon. Bathed in that silvery moonlight, her King looked very beautifully unreal.

"Mikoto...what will we do when we get back to normal?" Anna asked.

He placed a kind hand on her head. In his mind, he could picture his twenty six year old self banging his head against a wall and cursing at his fourteen year old self.

"A twenty six year old can't go locking lips with a thirteen year old," he stated.

Anna nodded. That much was true.

At twenty six, there were so many things he overlooked about Anna. He was so much larger than her that all he really noticed was when she grew a little taller. He was not blind to the fact that she was developing curves a little quickly for his liking, but he accepted it. It was like a big brother watching his baby sister grow and wanting to protect her from all the bad men out there.

But at fourteen, he didn't overlook these things. He just couldn't. He wasn't even altogether sure if he even viewed her like a sister anymore, or even a security blanket. She was still a someone he wanted to protect...but it was so different, viewing her with younger eyes.

Mikoto had always been a person who took what he wanted. At fourteen, he tended to think less about the consequences of his actions for he hadn't developed the proper rationale to think things through quite yet. At this reverted form, that part of his brain wasn't properly developed and therefore, he took what he wanted and he wanted to kiss Anna on the lips. He wanted to hold her close and cuddle her and never let her go.

However, these thoughts in Mikoto's head made him feel as though he was making excuses. It was something deeper than this and he didn't know what it was that made him feel this way toward Anna.

Or perhaps he did know, but his heart refused to admit it for it could throw off their relationship when he returned to normal.

He didn't even know what was going to happen when he returned to his true age-how was he going to look at Anna, and how would Anna look at him?

"Hey, you two! Natsume's ready!" came Izumo's voice.

They both turned to see him standing close to one of the trees nearby. They nodded and moved follow after him.

Izumo already started back and lit a cigarette as he went.

Anna caught hold of Mikoto's arm. He paused and looked at her. She reached up and using her thumb, she gently wiped away her smear of pink lipstick from the plump flesh of his mouth.

There was a mutual understanding between the two of them; this was going to be their secret.

* * *

"Mikoto-chan!" a voice exclaimed as they entered Natsume's home. A tall man with what looked like _blue_ hair pounced on Mikoto, and hugged him tight. He had on a lacy shirt with a black soft pants. His hair was long, and Anna wondered if he had on a wig as it had perfect curls on it. He even seemed to look like he was wearing on lip gloss.

Mikoto was did not shove him off, but he did have an uncomfortable look on his face.

Kuroh, Shiro and Neko were there.

Neko was fumbling with her clothing.

"Neko, you know I don't like it when you run around naked," Shiro reminded her as they sat on the couch.

She scowled. "I hate clothes!"

"Just look at little Anna, she's always well-dressed from head to toe and..." Shiro's mouth dropped open at the sight of Anna who was covered more by Mikoto's jacket than by her dress. "What happened to you, Anna?! The last time I saw you, you were a sweet little girl!"

Anna blinked at him. "I'm not a nice girl anymore?"

Shiro smiled kindly. "Of course you are. I'm just surprised to see you looking so grown up, that's all,"

Anna nodded. She was about to bow politely to him, but he lifted his hands in protest, quite sure that her dress might reveal more than necessary to himself and Kuro.

The man beside Mikoto rubbed his cheek against his and finally Mikoto lost it and punched him so that he flew back and fell to the floor in front of Neko.

The man smiled and said, "Hey catgirl, where are your panties?"

Neko scowled. "Who needs panties?" she demanded while Shiro and Kuro slapped their hands to their faces.

Shiro stood up and caught Neko's arm. "Come on, we're leaving. I won't have you so exposed any longer,"

"Shiro's so strict!" she protested.

Shiro ignored her, and pulled her to the door, followed by an exasperated looking Kuro.

The Silver King smiled and waved to everyone and left before they could answer any questions anyone might have had.

"Neko is such a handful," Natsume muttered.

Anna frowned slightly. She would like to have interacted with her fellow strain for a little while longer, but it really didn't seem possible as the Silver King wanted to get her out of there before she stripped bare in front of everyone.

"Anna, this pervert is Kyo. He's the strain who changed Mikoto back to fourteen. He can only get people back to their younger ages, not older,"

The blue haired man got to his feet and took Anna's hand in his. "And to what do I owe this pleasure, beautiful?"

Mikoto immediately grabbed Anna by the back of his jacket that she was wearing and pulled her away. Mikoto shot him a dark look.

"Stay away from her," he ordered and shoved Anna off onto Izumo.

Kyo smiled nervously. "Of course, of course. Shall we begin then?"

Mikoto nodded and with that, Kyo placed his hands on Mikoto's head and a purple aura began to glow around him before it moved to touch Mikoto and engulf him in it.

Soon, it grew darker and darker, making Anna worried but Izumo, who had his hands on her shoulders, tightened his hold on her. She looked up at him and he shook his head at her, telling her not to worry.

Suddenly, the aura disappeared.

To their shock, there stood what looked like a bad tempered eight year old boy whose clothing was much too large for him for the sleeves of his shirt was too long, and his trouser legs practically swimming on the floor.

"What you looking at, stupid?" this fiery red haired child demanded.

If possible, his face was even more sour looking than fourteen year old Mikoto's. However, it was possible that if he actually smiled, he would be quite adorable.

"What did you do?!" Izumo gasped.

Kyo looked a anxious. "Sorry, I'm so sorry! I don't have full control over my powers yet!" he apologized.

"Who the heck are you people?" the boy asked. He was shorter than Anna and reached her to her shoulders. His back was turned to her so he didn't see her quite yet and it seemed that by his words, he didn't remember much of anything.

"Mikoto?" she voiced his name.

He glanced at her from over his shoulder. Then he seemed to freeze.

"Ack!...it's a girl!" he exclaimed and hid behind Kyo's legs, peeking at her.

Anna was stunned at his reaction, but the boys cheeks were red.

"Kyo, change him back," Natsume ordered, quite frustrated.

"I would, but I'm not sure if it would work properly. You can wait two months for the effect to wear off," he suggested.

Mikoto suddenly dashed from behind Kyo to round around Anna and look up at Izumo.

"What is it?" he asked the boy whose clothing was obviously too huge on him.

"Izumo...you look so old," he stated, seeming to still have some memory of his old friend.

Izumo scowled. "_Two months_ of this brat? No. Way. In. Hell. Do something about him!"

Kyo nodded. He motioned for Mikoto to come to him but Mikoto shook his head.

"Mikoto, why don't you go to him?" Izumo questioned.

"He looks like a tranny," Mikoto responded and Kyo gasped in mortification.

"I am not a tranny! I'm just delicately beautiful!"

Anna was curious. "What's a tra-"

"Don't ask Anna, just don't ask," Izumo begged, quite frustrated.

"Mikoto," Anna said his name again.

He looked at her wearily. She was quite curious about this little 'Mikoto-chan'.

"Do you remember me?"

Cautiously, the boy took a step forward and looked up at her. In his eyes, he saw a beautiful girl with long white hair. He was quite sure that he'd never seen someone as pretty as her before.

Mikoto blinked up at her. Then a decision came to his little eight year old heart.

"You're my girlfriend," he stated firmly.

Anna blushed. "Ah..."

"Yes, she's your girlfriend. Go hold her hand," Izumo ordered and pushed the boy toward Anna, hoping that the liking he took to the girl would encourage him to listen to her for him to go to Kyo.

Mikoto tripped on his large clothing but someone caught him. Expecting that it was Anna, he looked up only to find that the 'tranny' was looking down at him.

"Ah! Get away!"

"Too late, kiddo,"

And with that, the purple aura engulfed him.

A few moments later, a larger body stood before them. He was clearly more muscular and certainly had a different hairstyle.

His clothing had ripped up with his now larger form and the pants he wore was shredded at all sides while shirt was practically smithereens.

He groaned and touched his head.

This was clearly their older Mikoto.

"Mikoto," Izumo voiced his name.

He glanced at him. Then he caught sight of Anna.

"Why the devil are you dressed like that?" he demanded, wondering why in the world the young girl was wearing such a revealing dress. It was actually not as revealing as he seemed to think, but he was accustomed to seeing her in high necked dresses with layers of lace and stockings.

In fact where did she get that jacket from? It looked like a man's tuxedo jacket.

"Where did that come from?" he added, pointing to it.

Anna was uncertain of what to say, for she was very confused.

Izumo, with some clothes in his arms, walked up to him.

"You don't remember anything? How old are you?"

Mikoto accepted the clothing. "Twenty six,"

"What was your last memory?" Natsume questioned.

Mikoto began to pull off the remnants of his shirt before shrugging on the larger one Izumo had given to him.

Mikoto frowned. What was his last memory really? He had blurs of being a middle school student with Anna, and then being in Anna's mind when Iwao attacked.

"Nothing much of being fourteen," he responded. "only when we got a hold of Iwao."

Everyone looked at Kyo. "Well, because reversion to a younger age can hamper memories, Mikoto's abrupt change to eight, then twenty six has caused some mental confusion,"

"Will he ever remember?" Izumo questioned.

Kyo shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe he will, maybe he won't,"

That meant that Mikoto had little memories of his and Anna's kisses and shared moments at that young age of fourteen.

* * *

It was late at night yet Mikoto felt as though he was having a morning hangover. His head was muggy, he was so tired and yet he could barely fall into a restful sleep. It was the after effects of that 'transvestite's' power that moved him to a eight year old before shooting him off to twenty six again.

Mikoto didn't mind not having a clear recollection of the last two weeks-they had accomplished what they had come here to do, now they could leave and go back home.

He would be leaving Anna too, but at least when they were going they could take her back to Homra with them. He had a few vague memories of Anna's friends-Kei and Akemi and that he didn't particularly like Kei.

He also remembered all the guys in the school suddenly following him around for they had come to admire him. Yes, he remember things but not the fine details.

Well, fine details weren't important-as mentioned before, they had accomplished their tasks.

Yet something kept niggling at Mikoto's mind.

He rolled over in the dark in his bed and nearly let out a cry of fright that would have made Totsuka Tatara's day had been alive to see it.

It was Anna, sitting on his bed wearing that darned dress. She was going to attract perverts with that on. Didn't she realize it? Of course a part of him knew he was being paranoid...but still, Anna looked older and his overprotective nature caused him to become worried about her.

His mind was also so muggy that he hadn't even noted her presence.

"Don't come into a man's room dressed like that," he scolded her, annoyed.

Why the hell did his little princess have to like so grown up now? She was only thirteen. And who the heck let her wear on such an outfit?! She was too young.

Anna tilted her head to the side.

"Is Mikoto alright?" she asked.

"Yeah," he answered and turned away, pulling his blanket over him.

He glanced at her. "Anna, did something happen?"

She understood if something strange may have happened between the two of them when he was in that fourteen year old state.

In reply, she shook her head and moved to leave, just as he had ordered her to.

* * *

It was good to have Mikoto back to normal again and Anna was able to return to Homra that weekend with him. Anna pretended that nothing had happened between them for the sake of her King's sanity. He would be terribly disturbed if he found out that he had kissed her a few times on the mouth during those two weeks.

In fact, what Anna was most afraid of was that he would push her away, thinking that they had become too close and that knowing what he was capable of doing with her at fourteen was unthinkable for a man of twenty six and he would therefore keep her at a distance as a punishment to himself, and as a way of safeguarding her from himself.

So, for now, cuddles and snuggles with Mikoto as well as his love/hate relationship with Lion-O persevered but for Anna, those two weeks she had with Mikoto were special.

She met him at a different level and she experienced a different kind of affection for and from him during this time. He was her first date and her first kiss, even if he didn't remember it. Truly, she would treasure those memories.

* * *

"You told Anna she was your girlfriend," Izumo snickered as he cleaned a glass in Homra Bar.

Mikoto cocked an eyebrow at him. "I did?"

"Yeah. Your eight year old self seemed to really like her,"

Well, Mikoto wouldn't be surprised if he had thought so. She was a rather ethereal-looking being. His eight year old self would have probably been fascinated by her pale hair and wide, dark eyes. Just this morning he had left her in his bed, tucked warmly under the covers and for a moment, he had been intrigued by how pretty she looked in the morning light. He had proceeded to sit on the bedside and nuzzle at his favorite spot. Whether or not his memories over the last two weeks were blurred, it did not change the fact that this was his favorite spot. Only when she stirred did he draw back and curious about the way her long, long hair shimmered in the light, he lifted it and observed it for a moment, before replacing it beside her and leaving to go downstairs.

"Anna's friends are really nice people. They fight with each other a lot and are really entertaining. They really have stood by her. Anna really seemed to trust them too...to the point of where she hid from us that they discovered her powers,"

Mikoto grunted at that. He wondered if he had ever berated her for that.

"Even that Kei guys seems nice...although he really reminds me Tatara. It's frightening sometimes,"

"You investigated anything on him?" Mikoto questioned as he looked through a particular document.

"Yeah. He's got two parents working abroad and a brother who attends school elsewhere. There's nothing suspicious about him. I guess that wherever we go, there will always be someone who is really similar to us...except for you and Anna. I don't think there's anyone else in the world like either of you,"

Mikoto didn't say anything to that. He simply replaced the document and picked up another. He then placed a hand on his forehead in frustration.

"Head still hurts?" Izumo questioned as he placed a glass of water before his friend.

Mikoto nodded. It was the only real reason as to why he was awake at such an hour. After all, Mikoto tended to sleep in and got up only when he felt like it.

Izumo suddenly realized what exactly it was Mikoto was having a look at for he had pulled out a set of photos Izumo had not seen in a long time.

They were the pictures of Anna from when she had been stalked by those guys from Rise. She was certainly younger looking then in her old red and black dress with the laces and frills.

"What are you doing with that?" Izumo questioned, curious.

Mikoto didn't say anything but shoved the photos away again. Izumo, ever the perceptive one, remarked, "Something feels off?"

"Yeah,"

"Toshi's trial is still going on for whether or not he should be executed. Even if he isn't given the death sentence, he is still a convicted criminal who has been given a life sentence. We shouldn't be worried that Anna might be in danger,"

"That's not it," Mikoto murmured.

He had a niggling feeling that everything with the Rise certainly wasn't over. After all, the had still not found the main area where Toshi had conducted his experiments. Mikoto sighed. Whatever the case was, he would continue to protect Anna, his precious princess.

* * *

*******PLEASE READ A/N: If I had a choice, I think the more realistic person for Seri to be with would be Reisi as long as Scepter 4 remains intact, but I also like her with Izumo as well. I'm leaving it up to your imagination that she ends up with whoever you think is best (if you think she should end up with anyone at all). Maybe I would write in extra chapters to show how it would be if she ended up with Izumo and another one with how it would be if she ended up with Reisi.**

*******Sorry if the chapter is a bit rushed. I really didn't want to delay it any longer. **

*******Thank you for the positive responses on Chie and Emi! I hadn't expected so many people to like them, thank you all so much for showing support to them! I really appreciate that! As well as the support for Akemi and Kei :)**

*******I want to finish up this story as soon as possible because I have exams for the next two weeks or so and I want to concentrate on those but I'd like to finish up by the next chapter or two. ****Maybe I'll post up the sequel right afterwards but I would have to update very slowly (if at all) until my exams are over.**

*******Thanks for all the reviews, thank you to all who follow and favorite this story. I appreciate it. Thank you, I love you ALL.**

*******Also, practice safe sex if you are sexually active and don't let anyone pressure you into doing it. I follow through with this lovely Biblical quote about the body being the Temple of God so always have respect for yourself and others as well. Nothing is wrong with abstinence but as always, your personal choices are your own to make ****(I sound like _such_ a mommy when I always leave these kind of words after certain chapters).**

**For those who reviewed:**

**sereneskydragonslayer: Thank you so much for those words! I'm always so glad when someone commends me on the OCs because I know that a lot of people dislike them! **

**xNightDreamerx: Yeah, it's gonna end soon but the sequel is basically a continuation of this story. I'm glad you liked those parts of the story and hope you enjoyed this chapter as well :)**

**Bre Renee: This was me for the last few chapters, 'Did Bre Renee review? No? :(' I'm dead serious! I miss hearing from you but it seems you had a really hectic schedule, so I understand. But all those activities that you had to do sounded like a lot of fun! Hope it was! No it's not bad that you want this to be over because you're excited for the sequel :) I think it might be because you're looking out for some heavier romance :P I'm glad you like the fluff and I think at this point, Mikoto can't acknowledge any feelings like that for Anna ;) I'm sorry that your hopes and dreams were crushed and this chappie prob crushed them some more-sorry :/ I wanted Yata and Emi's relationship to be a bit predictable because they're both so innocent-like! And I'm happy about the positive response to Chie because I think when I first introduced her, she didn't seem very likable. I'm also so happy to know that you like Akemi so much! And it was so awesome hearing from you again!**

**Ashley xo: Thank you again so, so much for those kind words! I am always serious when I say that reviews motivate me to continue with the story, especially after I saw episode 13 of k I just wanted to stop writing but you guys really encouraged me to keep writing then, and even now I always want to continue it because of reviews like yours that so very, very positive :)**

**LindyLinn: 1 or 2. Nor quite sure yet, but I want to end it soon and get to work on the sequel. Mikoto and Anna kissed in this chapter so I hope you weren't disappointed :) But Mikoto did kiss her in the last chapter-when she was sleeping ;)**

**Arius the Heretic: Aww...I'm so sorry, but I will make mentions of them because people seem to like them a lot although they're OCs! The age gap is a bit bothersome, but I like to think that those two don't age like other people. I mean really-Anna doesn't look like she really grew during her time in Homra and Mikoto's clothes were the only thing that changed in a space of 3 years (based on the anime).**

**Indochine: I think this chapter answers your questions on the love triangle :) Hope you enjoyed the dance part in this chapter. I haven't had a chance to go look at more episodes, but I definitely will. It looks like it's a really good quality anime to watch. It is interesting that those are the voice actors!**

**Little Weirdo: Well, the ending will just be a kind of introduction to the sequel because the sequel is just a continuation of this story but with a higher rating :) And i hope you truly like the sequel just as much :)**

**Flower 117: I'm pleased that you liked how I handled Anna. I've never really gotten into FMA, but you can imagine that Seri did choose Munakata or IF I decide to do a chapter on if she did actually choose him, you can check it out :) I am not a fan of yaoi, but I am a fan of 'bromance'. I'm glad you liked the OC pairings though, I really appreciate that :)**

**Hodgeheg: When I get some time I will check out your stories. I don't really follow up on Bleach or Naruto anymore, but I would like to have a look at your stories. I didn't want to make Mikoto too angry-you know he can't get too angry with Anna for too long! :D I'm also really happy you liked the OCs so much. Akemi actually wasn't harsh on her dad-she knew he would just use words, but when the time came, nothing would change between her and her step-mother and step-sister and her dad would do nothing to help the situation. 50 does sound like a good number, but I don't want to go past 47 or 48 :/**

**creativeactive.: Aww...thanks so much for really liking Chie! I truly, truly appreciate that!**

**Livvie: Hi, thanks for reviewing :) Dude, I would have been really mad if my dad did that! Hope he isn't doing anything so risky again! But you're right, that is how Mikoto was feeling :)**

**Yanniesama: Hi there, and thanks so much for your lovely words. I'm sorry I can't update as I used to, but I am trying to update when I can. I want the sequel to be out within the next two weeks, but because I have exams, it may not be until afterward. My tip for you to make a good story is to think about what you would like to see happen between the pairing of your choice, then think back on if the scene makes sense, and as you're writing, try to keep them in character. Hope that helps :)**

**Mienchan-ish: Yes, Mikoto is definitely rather dense!**

**nannerlovessnickers: I'm looking forward to it :)**

**Guest: I saw your review only after I posted chapter 46. Thanks for this kind words, and I really am flattered that you find this fanfic to be so good. That really, really means a lot to me. Thank you so much. Well, I ended the love triangle here, but you leave it up to your imagination who Seri chooses :) Sometime later on, I will probably (not promising though) post a chapter or a one-shot on what happens if her choice is Izumo :)**

**Thanks again everyone, and hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Let me know your thoughts on it. **

**God bless :)**


	47. Growing

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_Rated 'T'_

_**A/N: Mentions a characters and situations from K: Memory of Red-Shouhei's situation with his mother and Ayumi (see chapter 9, Summer's Kamamoto). Check out the manga on any manga website and let's all thank Aqua Scans for their translations.**_

_**This may also be the longest chapter I have ever written.**_

_**The second half of this chapter...is a bit suggestive but it still falls under the 'T' rating (it's probably also educational :/). I'm just warning you.**_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

**Chapter 47: Growing**

Every once in a while, Shouhei Akagi went back home to visit his mother to ensure that she was doing just fine. At one point in time, he had considered moving back to his childhood home in order to care for her.

However, she refused to let him leave behind the life he had in Shizume City and had agreed with him that if things became bad with her, she would be the one to come and stay with him. Shouhei wondered what she would say if she knew that the 'friends' he had in the City that he told her about were really like a huge, violent gang?

Shouhei chuckled to himself as he approached the bar. His mother actually wouldn't mind that much as long as they were good people. The reason why he never went into detail about them was because she would have him tell her about all the things that they got into in the City and she would become very worried about him because of all the fights he got into. He was never one to lie to his wonderful mother and therefore he kept the details about his friends' escapades and his involvement in them quite vague.

Shouhei stretched out his arms above his head as he neared the bar. He hadn't been here in nearly a month and a half, and more importantly, he hadn't seen the princess of their clan in nearly two months because before he had left, he had become very busy with his work and could not come over on the weekends when she was home.

He was looking forward to seeing her. Now that she was fourteen, Anna had come to be extremely beautiful, just like a fairytale princess. With Izumo's refusal to let her cut her hair, the white hair with the silver shimmer now fell to her thighs. It was in no way thin. In fact, it was quite thick and sometimes Izumo would tease her and tell her that he could use her hair to make a long haired 'Anna-rug' that would match with his white summer time drapes.

Anna would blink at him when he said that, and then go back to whatever she was doing. Shouhei liked to think that that was her way of saying, 'You're an idiot, Izumo', but Anna wasn't that insulting. She was really just pointing out that his joke was completely and totally lame.

Izumo would chuckle afterward, for he thought his joke was actually funny. Sometimes the clansmen would pick up for Anna and yell at him. Mikoto would ignore them and probably go to sleep.

Well, the clansmen were becoming increasingly overprotective of Anna for it wasn't just her hair that had become even more pretty-she had a lovely figure of a svelte sixteen or seventeen year old.

Yeah, little Anna had boobs and an ass now. Even if she wore loose clothing, somehow she just looked a like a magazine model.

Before, she used to look like this adorable, handcrafted doll that any little girl would want as theirs.

She _still_ looked beautifully crafted, especially with those long, long thick, dark eyelashes of hers and the small, pretty mouth she had as well as those large dark eyes. She looked very special and wherever she went, she attracted attention.

In the underground world of Shizume City, for those who knew of the Red Clan, increasingly considered her to be the princess of Homra or possibly even Suoh Mikoto's potential queen (because she was the only female seen with him and she was incredibly beautiful).

It did make Izumo worried about her, and the kind of people who would approach her. That was why whenever she came home to the City and had to do any shopping, he always had Kamamoto and Yata, or anyone else available accompany her to ensure her safety.

And scare off any stupid guys.

At least that was what Shouhei had been told by Bando. Shouhei realized that it was in the last month or so, things had become like this and that when Anna came home for the Summer holidays, they would have to keep on their toes around her and look out for any creeps and perverts.

Well, they had a lot to be thankful for in terms of Anna's relationship with her King-because he rarely came out unless he had to, she would rarely come out too and since most of the time she would be at his side, any weirdos would get scared off by his mere presence while any potentially brave soul who actually approached her would end up getting a reason to _not_ approach her ever again by Mikoto himself.

Shouhei had enjoyed his time in Homra over the years and for him, the bonds that everyone had with each other in the clan was what its members stick to each other through thick and thin. They were like a bunch of violent brothers-except for Anna for she was their baby sister.

Shouhei finally entered the bar.

To his shock, he saw Anna sitting at the bar, looking even more beautiful than the last time he saw her. She was wearing on her High School uniform and it seemed that she must have just gotten home. Yes, Anna had become a High School student now and had been one since September of the last year as she had properly graduated from Middle School. At that time, Izumo was the one to attend her graduation ceremony. It had been on a beautiful summer's day and she had officially earned a middle school diploma.

As a High School student, her uniform still consisted of a red checkered skirt, but the sailor design had been foregone for a more formal white shirt that was covered by a red jacket and a properly done red tie.

Anna had been offered to do an exam by Natsume that would allow her to skip a grade once more. Mikoto had discouraged her from it during the Summer a year ago when she had come home after graduation.

"_Hey, who's the pretty girl?" Chitose asked as he watched over Yata's shoulder at the picture the short fellow seemed to be moving over. _

"_Hey! Get away from me!" Yata snapped._

_To his other side, Eric finally finished with university, snatched away the picture. "Ah! Hey give it back!" Yata cried out. _

_Before he could rush at Eric, Chitose grabbed him by the back, holding him with the help of Dewa (because although the brat was short, he was probably one of Homra's strongest members after Izumo)._

_Kamamoto, skinny and handsome as it was summertime, peered at the picture in Eric's hands. _

"_She's pretty cute,"_

_Suddenly, someone caught hold of his cheek and pinched it hard. "Ow...ow! Ayumi! What are you doing?" Kamamoto demanded of a pretty girl with long, long black hair and wide eyes. _

"_Stupid Ricchan! How can you call another girl cute while I'm here?" she demanded. _

"_Sorry! I'm sorry!" he apologized and she let him go. _

"_She's kinda flat chested," Bando commented._

_Yata flew at him and grabbed him by the shirtfront. "I don't want to hear that from the guy whines about the girl he lost in kindergarten!"_

_Beside him, Shouhei laughed. "She really doesn't have much to stuff into her bra," _

"_I don't want hear anything either from the dumbass who got together with the chick who got his ass kicked for while she was seeing a dangerous guy! You're being used, stupid!"_

_Shohei looked a little uncomfortable. "That's different..."_

"_Shut it! And give me back my picture!"_

"_The Chihuahua sure is protective," Eric commented and handed it to him._

_Yata snatched it away and hugged it to him protectively while glowering at his clansmen. _

"_Stupid jerks. Jealous of my woman,"_

_Chitose placed a solemn hand on Yata's shoulder which startled the younger fellow. Quite seriously, he said to him, "At least when you're making sexy time, bras won't get in the way with her,"_

_Yata shoved him off. "What the hell do you mean?"_

"_There's nothing to hold, she won't **need** to wear one,"_

_Yata let out an enraged roar and proceeded to attack him. _

_The pair began to roll around on the ground while Izumo, at the bar, yelled at them to stop while Anna remained at the bar, sipping juice. _

"_You have no reason to rush your school life," Mikoto was telling her while all that ruckus was going on behind them. Anna was disappointed by his words. After all, her cycle did last only up to seven days now and it was still very painful, but if she finished High School in two years then by then it would have eased up for her to live a normal life. _

"_You would be able to spend more time with your friends, Anna," Izumo also pointed out._

_They seemed to think it was good advice to give her to keep a an easy pace in High School._

_She saw it as a reluctance to let her come back home and immediately, she became suspicious that they were still trying to protect her by keeping her in the highly guarded school in the mountains._

_Anna did not argue with them. She promised herself that she would become stronger, strong enough for them to have no qualms for when she came back home._

_Of course she would miss Akemi and Kei for she loved them so much, but Homra was her home, where her family was._

* * *

Anna was currently sipping orange juice daintily from a cocktail glass that Izumo normally gave her.

Anna, despite being older now, still had the same mannerisms-she was quiet and calm and rarely showed emotion. She did smile a little more often, but no one had ever really heard her laugh. Once upon a time, there had been a mission to get Anna to laugh.

Everyone had decided to brainstorm to figure a way to do so.

Unfortunately, no one could think of anything.

After all, the only plans those guys could come up with was fighting each other in some way that would make her laugh, and obviously, that wasn't going to work on a girl who saw that same thing every single day.

Mikoto had been consulted about it. He had merely shrugged at them before he went upstairs to take a nap.

Anna had sensed when Shouhei had come in and had turned around to look at her clansman who she hadn't seen in quite a long time. He had a slight blush on his cheeks.

Then, he burst out into a huge smile and hurried over to her. He grabbed her and hugged her tightly.

"Anna is so beautiful! I missed you!" he exclaimed.

Another voice commented, "Tsk, look at him-we haven't seen him in months and here he is already hogging Anna,"

It was Yata who spoke.

Anna was very soft and delicate when he hugged her and Shouhei deliberately continued embracing her just to get on the Crow's nerves.

"Yata-san! How are you? Did your girlfriend finally grow into a bra?"

"F*** you!" Yata cursed.

Shouhei laughed and let Anna go while Yata moved to attack him.

Bando grasped the short fellow from the back. "Oh just ignore him, Yata! You know he's a total idiot!"

"Screw you, Bando-san!" Yata snarled and proceeded to bully their hooded comrade.

"Now, now stop that teasing Yata-chan about his pretty girlfriend. You know it discourages him from bringing her here,"

"You know the last time-and only time you brought her here we treated her nicely," Dewa pointed out.

"That's because I got her to leave before you guys sexually harassed her!"

"We wouldn't do that!" Chitose commented.

"That's because Maria was with you around that time and she would have killed you if she had caught you flirting!"

In response, the handsome man placed his arm around Anna's shoulders. She looked up at him and blinked.

He smiled nicely with her. "She doesn't kill me for being around Anna,"

Izumo reached out and shoved his arm away from the girl. "That's because if you harassed Anna, Mikoto would have burned you to a crisp,"

Chitose proceeded to debate with the others about his stance as a flirt who regularly harassed women.

"Look, I know I used to be like that, but I'm not anymore!" he defended himself.

"Because Chitose is getting married now," Anna stated quietly and waited for Izumo to pour more juice.

"Exactly! Because I'm getting married now!"

"Then you need to bring your fiancee in here more often," Izumo said, quite friendly.

At the same time, handsome Summertime Kamamoto came out with a smile on his features that made the rest of the girls in the bar sigh dreamily.

Both Yata and Chitose looked down-some.

"Not with that guy in here," Chitose muttered.

He had to give in and admit that skinny Kamamoto was too damned handsome for his own good. Meanwhile, Yata was figuring maybe he could try to introduce Chie to Kamamoto. He held nothing against the girl who was his girlfriend's best friend. It was against that damned monkey, Saruhiko Fushimi, Yata had something against.

But Yata decided that he wasn't so low as to use his comrade to get in the way of someone else's relationship. He was genuinely happy for his former friend. Yata had, however, thought that Saruhiko would stop acting like a creepy stalker and going, "Misakiiiii!" in this disturbing way whenever he saw his shorter former comrade.

That was _not_ true. Saruhiko still acted as he always did whenever he happened across Yata. He used to heckle Yata about having a flat chested girlfriend, until it seemed Chie must have landed him a few verbal blows to make him shut up about it because that was her friend Fushimi would be saying things about.

Chie herself seemed to be doing fine. Yata didn't interact with her often, but once he had asked what she had hoped to achieve when she had been spying on Iwao. Her answer had been that she had been hoping to catch him in the act, but she was glad that things worked out the way they did. Everyone seemed fine now. Especially Emi.

And that was Chie's happiness. Yata honestly couldn't say that he knew much about her relationship with Saruhiko, but according to Emi, the pair cared about each other a lot but did as much as they could to pretend they didn't. It was actually pretty funny.

Anna gave a soft smile at her comrades. They really were the most interesting, intriguing, rowdy group. She was awaiting Mikoto's return home. He and Eric had gone to investigate something so when she had come home, neither was there.

She wanted to see Eric a lot too because he did have a good, quiet understanding of her. It wasn't like the others were pushy-well, they could be, but they tended to baby her a little too much lately, possibly because she was getting older. Eric was protective of her if he was sent out with her if she had to go to the mall, but he often let her do what she want and remained at her side, often quietly. He had a very nice atmosphere about him and was like a very nice big brother to her.

She was also awaiting Mikoto's large, brooding presence that she was so drawn toward. Lately she had come to note that there were certain things about him she was becoming more aware of. She had come to appreciate the proud stature he carried about as King of the Red clan so casually.

However, it wasn't just these internal traits she noted-it was also his physical traits ike the way his muscles rippled when he fought, the way his body was moved when he walked. The way his arms had strong biceps that were not huge and detailed, but just seemed perfectly well formed. The way his body was proportioned such that his legs and upper body were perfectly evened out.

Even little details she noted about his hands.

_His hand was large, and even though hers had grown a little, his would remain so much bigger than hers. It was a strong hand, the hand he used to stroke her hair gently or the hand that rested on her her stomach when he cuddled her as they slept. They were calloused hands, hands that had the long stem of a vein pushing out slightly-manly hands she could call them. They were rough hands, but hands that handled her so gently, and were always so warm._

Anna currently had a set of documents lying in her backpack that she wasn't sure if to mention to Izumo. These documents had been given to her by the owner of the maid cafe in Seneca Town where Anna and Mikoto had been when they had gone to spy on Iwao. It was where they had had their 'date'.

This had all started when Natsume Yuki had informed them that they might have to disband the Finders' Club or hand it over to someone else.

* * *

_A week ago:_

"What do you mean disband, Natsume-sensei?" Kei had questioned, shocked at the announcement.

"Because you and Akemi decided to go get jobs outside of the school, that's why," the teacher responded.

The three members looked at each other, then at her.

"It's against the rules?"

"Yes, it is against the rules for students to have a job both within the school and outside of the school. You would not be able to balance both and first and foremost at Seneca High is that you get a top quality education. Having two jobs will affect your academic performance,"

"But this is a club activity, not a job," Kei pointed out.

Natsume looked at him seriously. "You get an income-it _is_ a job. And since you and Akemi already found jobs for the summer, I want you to think seriously about if you want to continue with it, or if you want to leave the club,"

The three looked at each other with frowns on their faces. This was going to be difficult. It was the year when Anna was already fourteen and her friends were already fifteen. Kei had also liked the idea of becoming an independent adult, but thus far he had only gotten permission from his guardian, who was his brother, to work. The one thing Kei and Akemi had in common was their desire to earn cold hard cash.

It wasn't that they placed value on the idea of having a lot of money, it was because they did not have enough money for themselves to get the things they _needed_, rather than _wanted_ that made them want to earn it so badly.

* * *

"I can manage this summer without working in Seneca Town, but I don't think you can, Akemi. You need to show on record for the school that you're earning a substantial income that would allow them to permit you to live outside when you turn sixteen,"

They were sitting in the maid cafe where Akemi had already been recruited in to work in order to discuss what they were going to do. It was the same cafe that Anna and Mikoto had been in to spy on Iwao the year before. Anna still recalled that time so vividly with Mikoto dressed so handsomely as he sat opposite her. He had had that sour expression on, but the way he had looked at her...it had been so different from the eyes of his twenty six year old self.

So bittersweet that memory was.

Akemi nodded at Kei's words as she spooned some of her strawberry sundae into her mouth. Her father, as she had known, had shown over the past year that he really and truly did put his wife and her daughter before his own child for hardly anything changed at all except for the occasional look of regret on his face when Akemi was being bullied by the two females-and that look of regret meant that he was sorry that he wouldn't do more, even though he could.

The old 'hag' as Akemi liked to call her step-mother had also raised a fuss about helping Akemi with extra cash that she might need so Akemi's financial situation was a bit worse.

"Well, we're all in this together. I will get by somehow," Akemi stated. She was doing this for Anna's benefit, knowing that while she and Kei could work, Anna did not seem to have the same permission to do so.

"Maybe Anna can carry on the club if she finds two other members to join," Kei suggested. After all, the requirement to form a club was to have at least three members.

Anna shook her head. "We'll disband," she said. She didn't really care to be a part of a club without either of those two in it.

"What? But Anna-" Kei protested.

"It doesn't matter. You need part-time jobs more than I do,"

"Why don't you try to work as well?" Kei asked.

"I'm only fourteen,"

"Still?!" Kei gasped.

"You ask her that every year!" Akemi snapped.

"Well she looks more like sixteen or seventeen you know," he pointed out as he sipped some of his cream soda.

Anna remained quiet as she ate some of her cherry sorbet.

"Oh hello, aren't you that girl that came in with the red haired fellow?" came the voice of the waitress. Anna recognized the cosplaying girl from when she had been in here before with Mikoto.

"Sayuri-san, you know Anna?" Akemi questioned.

The pretty girl with long black hair and black eyes smiled at them. "Yes, I remember that she came in here last year and I offered her a job," Sayuri looked thoughtful. "Come to think of it, you were here around that time too...you and this good looking friend of yours." she was referring to Kei.

Kei smiled flirtatiously. "Are you the owner? If you are, then it's no wonder you're so popular,"

Akemi gave him an irritated look, but he ignored her.

Sayuri giggled lightly. "I'm sure if we had someone like you working here as well, our cafe would do just fine,"

"There's something wrong?" Kei questioned.

"Yes, it's difficult to find girls with the 'right' kind of look here who go well with the maid outfit and we end up having to pay for their make up and all sorts of undergarments to get them the right look and shape and it can be pretty pricey and our revenue gets significantly lowered because of that-make up is pretty expensive you know. Natural beauties like Akemi who need close to no make up at all and who is our soon to be new employee is difficult to find," she looked at Anna now. "if you're still up to it, I'd like to hire you. The pay is pretty good."

"I'm not old enough," Anna responded.

She wouldn't admit it, but she liked the maid outfits a lot. She did have a weakness for lace and ribbons and stockings and mary jane shoes.

"How old are you?"

"Fourteen,"

Sayuri was surprised but she didn't question Anna on it. "Are you in High School yet like Akemi?"

She assumed that she might be as Anna and her were friends.

Anna nodded.

The maid/waitress looked thoughtful. "I could still hire you considering you're a High Schooler. If you're turning fifteen before year ends, I can contact your principal and speak to her, but I would also need permission from whoever is your parent or guardian as you're still a minor. Do you want to try? Or is your boyfriend going to disagree?"

Anna frowned. She didn't think know. She didn't know if Izumo would allow her to go either.

"When the summer starts, we'll take you on for a trial session. If you do well, we'll hire you and you can work part time after school and on weekends too,"

"I may not be able to come in on weekends," Anna said.

Sayuri shrugged. "You're a beautiful girl, Anna. I know you'll attract a lot of customers and therefore I don't mind taking you on even if you're only going to be here during the week. Either way, Seneca High's administration will only allow you to work a certain about of hours that would permit you to be here only during the week. At least until you turn fifteen,"

Anna wasn't sure.

"I'll give you a form to fill out, Anna which would allow us to have you for the first month of Summer holidays. I can talk to Ryosuke-san for you and he will more than likely give you permission but it's whoever is your parent or guardian whose consent you would need for you to come in, alright?"

Anna could have refused.

But she didn't. She accepted the form.

Sayuri also had an extra one.

"We're mainly a maid cafe, but we do take on butlers from time to time. If you're fifteen, and you're willing..."

"What's the hours and pay like?" Kei queried.

After describing it, Kei felt that this job offer was better than what he was getting where he would be helping out at a ramen stand.

Now the trio walked out of the maid cafe.

"Now I'll be seeing more of Kei," Akemi muttered.

Kei placed an arm around her shoulders. He smiled beautifully at her and Anna saw her female friend turn rather pale.

"Is there a problem with that, my _sweet_ Akemi?"

She shook her head quickly.

Kei continued smiling and kissed her cheek. She pushed him off angrily while blushing furiously, and he laughed.

Anna smiled.

They passed a light post which had a poster stuck on it, but only Kei glanced at it.

It was then that abruptly, someone appeared before them with a gun. The man was tall but had on a black mask. He was carrying what seemed to be a white sack.

He held the gun in front of them.

"Don't move," he ordered.

Akemi looked frightful, just as Kei did and the two grabbed onto each other and held tight. Akemi whimpered.

Anna, however, didn't flinch at all.

"What the hell, bitch? Why aren't you frightened?" he demanded as he walked up to Anna and held the gun to her forehead.

He placed the mouth of the gun directly there, threatening her.

But Anna wasn't afraid. She was no stranger to guns and violence.

In response, she quickly lifted her lifted one hand and grabbed his wrist and push it away while using the other hand to slam into his forearm, making him cry out in pain and drop the gun to her foot.

Kei grabbed the gun before he could and Anna, thankfully wearing on a short skirt of her High School uniform which allowed her proper leg movement, aimed a high kick at his face, just as she had been taught by Mikoto when he trained her in kickboxing.

It slammed into the man's face and he fell to the ground, groaning. He pushed the mask up from his face and rubbed it.

"Hey, there's a bounty on this guy!" Kei exclaimed, recognizing his face.

"What?" Akemi gasped.

"Ten thousand yen. Look," he pointed to the poster that was on the lightpost and they saw that yes, indeed, there was a reward for the very man in front of them.

"Shouldn't all the money go to Anna?" Akemi questioned as they checked through the money that had been divided equally among the three.

"Yeah, it should," Kei agreed, but Anna had been adamant about the money being split three ways.

The police had been stunned that three High Schoolers had brought this guy who had been evading them for months, but they had their criminal at long last and were therefore required to give them their reward for capturing him.

"I want you to have it," Anna stated firmly and the two knew she was not going to refuse.

* * *

Anna mentioned to Natsume and her family. Ryosuke, as he was now her principal informed her that he would have no problem with her working, as long as she got permission from Mikoto and Izumo.

Realistically, Anna did not want to be away from Homra for an entire month during the summer. However, she hated having to be too dependent on Izumo who still insisted that she freeload off him instead of allowing her to use the money her parents left to her.

She also knew that she would have to give up several club activities once she started working, but hoped that she would be able to at least keep her martial arts.

Anna glanced at her school bag. It rested on the chairs behind her with the documents given to her by both Ryosuke and Sayuri. She wasn't sure how to even mention it to Izumo, and whether or not she should.

After all, she did love Homra too much and summertime was when she made up for all the time she missed. She also knew how much the other members would miss her. Even though everyone already seemed to have their own paths now as they grew older, everyone still found their way back to Homra for it was their home.

The bell at the door clanged open as someone entered and Anna sensed Mikoto's large, brooding presence. Everyone in the bar suddenly stopped arguing and immediately bowed respectfully and greeted their King.

Anna was about to hurry over to his side, but Izumo spoke to her, "Anna, you've been really quiet. Did something happen?"

Anna was startled at his words. Izumo smiled kindly, noting that she was surprised.

Before she could answer, she felt Mikoto's presence behind her. His arm went around her shoulders as he leaned down to give her an affectionate kiss at her temple.

She could not deny that there was something changing slowly in their relationship, very very slowly .

Those moments when she was with his fourteen year old self, when they were alone in the clubroom and he would hold her in his arms seemed like they were so long ago. There was a slow, easy warmth about him at that time...and there was something simply..._sweet_ between them.

Shortly after Anna turned fourteen, she noted that their relationship was becoming somewhat similar to that...only his twenty six year old self had a larger presence, and an almost dangerous atmosphere about him that made Anna's senses tingle to the point of where she would wonder if something was wrong with her.

In a way, it seemed like the sweetness of what things had been like between them about a year ago without that age gap remained, but everything else was crumbling away. 'Everything else' seemed to be Anna's childhood as with her growing older, her relationship with Mikoto was slowly changing. Anna noted that very recently, Mikoto seemed to be a bit...distant from her. She wasn't sure if she was imagining things, but he often seemed distracted with her, as if his mind was elsewhere.

This was uncharacteristic of Mikoto who never let things bother him.

"I talked to Chitose a while ago before he left," Izumo told Mikoto as Anna returned to the bar to finish her juice.

Mikoto grunted. Izumo offered him a cigarette, but Mikoto shook his head. It seemed that ever since that incident with the cigarettes, he had some kind of memory of a bad experience with it and it kept him turned off from the cancerous item.

"He said to be there for one at the church,"

Mikoto nodded. Chitose and Maria were finally getting married.

Izumo looked at Anna. "You can wear on that dress you had on for the dance last year, Anna,"

"No," Mikoto immediately stated and Anna and her guardian looked at him.

Golden eyes looked directly into Anna's face. "It's too small now and too revealing," he told her strictly and turned to sip at the glass of whiskey Izumo had given to him.

Izumo frowned. That was probably true. Anna had developed a lot over the past year. She had more curves now that she was fourteen which made others think that she was actually sixteen. She was also becoming alarmingly beautiful and would attract the attention of the male population wherever she went.

Izumo noted that the king and the princess's relationship was changing very slowly. He also knew that Mikoto was being a bit distant with Anna lately.

In truth, Izumo figured it was because Mikoto just did not know how to deal with an older Anna. She was the same person on the inside, but on the outside, she was not a child and he probably still couldn't wrap his head around such a curvy Anna, especially since she was growing so quickly.

"Well, you can go shopping then," Izumo told her.

Anna shook her head. "I already have a dress," she informed him.

Izumo almost sighed sadly. Anna even did almost everything for herself now. She had learned to cook for herself after Tatara died, she even started to do her own laundry and when she was home for the summer, even Mikoto's. She combed her own hair and helped with the chores.

She was a good, sweet, beautiful person.

But Izumo did lament that he could not spoil her as he used to.

"When did you get it?" Izumo questioned.

"I was out with Akemi and Kei yesterday evening. We went to Seneca Town and I found one," she replied.

"Well, you'll have to show us, right?" Izumo asked.

Anna nodded.

* * *

It was the Red Clan's members who attended the church.

Since it was the Red Clan, the only male who was properly attired aside from the groom was Izumo. Mikoto opted for a long sleeved black shirt that had a deep V. His pants matched and he seemed to be more suited for a funeral than a wedding. Most of the other guys dressed semi-casually.

Anna was one of the few females there. Most of the others were women who were Maria's friends. Anna's dress was, much to Mikoto's relief, somewhat proper.

It was a silky white dress with hues of red splashed on it. The bodice for her upperbody perfectly and had thin straps. The skirt was A-line with gentle ruffles.

Anna had her hair combed out, and now it was so long that it fell to her thighs.

When Mikoto had seen her, he had patted her head kindly, his way of saying that he approved. Anna herself had found Mikoto to look very handsome in his clothing for the basic black had brought out his complexion, making it his skin look very healthy.

He did look even more dangerous as well, but for Anna, in a disturbingly good way.

The ceremony was quick and the members of Homra managed to get through it with little argument-the arguments were kept to a minimum save for occasional loud whispers. Maria had looked very beautiful in a strapless mermaid styled dress. Her veil had been lacy and pretty as she carried a bouquet of roses and orchids.

Anna had sat beside Mikoto for the ceremony and she had observed on, wondering what it would be like to actually get married.

"That might be you one day," Mikoto commented beside her.

She glanced up at him and blinked, but his eyes remained on the couple who were binding themselves to each other.

Sensing that she required an explanation, he continued, "One day you'll find a guy and you'll get married to him,"

Mikoto did not know why he was saying this, but those were the thoughts in his heart. He used to be so adamant about not getting into the topic of Anna meeting someone and marrying off, and yet here he was muttering about it to her.

Maybe it was because he was truly accepting that Anna wasn't so little anymore.

Anna shook her head. "I won't," she whispered.

He glanced at her, but now she was the one who was watching as the priest blessed the Chitose and Maria's rings.

"As long as I'm at Mikoto's side, I am happy,"

Mikoto didn't say anything, but suddenly he was itching for a cigarette. He hadn't felt this way in more than a year.

He placed his hand on the top of her head. He didn't really know what to say to that but he did acknowledge that her words pleased him.

* * *

"Anna will catch the bouquet! Go on Anna!" Kamamoto was encouraging her.

She shook her head, but there were yells around her from her clansmen, insisting that she go ahead.

Mikoto watched from the sidelines as the girl was shoved to go ahead and catch the bouquet.

Ironically, while she was busy shaking her head, the bouquet sailed straight into her arms, causing cheers to erupt all around her.

Anna's cheeks were stained in brilliant red and she happened to look across at Mikoto. He nodded and gave a slight smile. Her own mouth turned upward gently. Neither really understood why they were smiling with each other, but it was something their hearts understood while their brains couldn't comprehend.

* * *

_"Anna, you may not like what I'm about to tell you but I want you to understand that you are growing at a very fast rate. You already look older than you really are. When you are fourteen you will probably look like sixteen, and when you are sixteen, you will probably look like eighteen. Mikoto will protect you as much as he could, but remember that he is a man. A king he may be, but he is still a man and you are a young girl and your sexual drive will heighten from time to time. Especially as a strain. Do you understand what I'm saying?"_

"_I do,"_

_"I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it's just my advice to you to cut back on your sleeping habits with him. Not just for your own sake, but for his as well. He would never forgive himself if he touched you an inappropriate way, even by accident," **(A/N: See Chapter 38 when Natsume was speaking to Anna in the hospital)**_

Anna opened her eyes slightly from the memory of that conversation between herself and Natsume when Mikoto suddenly entered his bedroom to get a towel and a change of clothing. He had disappeared after the wedding, taking Yata and Kamamoto with him and it seemed he only just returned.

Anna closed her eyes again when Mikoto went into his bathroom. Apparently Izumo felt that with just Mikoto and Anna staying upstairs now, it would be better for Anna to have a little more privacy with the bathroom. He had wanted to build an adjoining bathroom to her bedroom, but that wasn't really possible due to the room's location.

He ended up making it with Mikoto's room while the other bathroom remained for everyone's use, but mainly Anna's.

Anna woke up a short time again later to Mikoto sitting beside her on the bed. She caught the mild scent of soap and dampness that resulted from his bath and as she opened her eyes she saw saw her handsome King hovering above her.

"Mikoto?"

Mikoto was silent for a moment. Then he gently pressed his knuckles against her temple and gently he soothed his hand down the curve of her cheek, to her jaw and finally, under her chin.

There was this quiet way in which Mikoto was watching her that made her realize that he was probably thinking deeply about something.

The soft, baby texture of Anna's skin was something that had never changed as she grew older. Mikoto could feel it as his fingers soothed over the creamy skin.

Mikoto was in no way blind to Anna's growth. He pressed his lips gently at her temple and began to trace a path down her face the way his fingers had. There were men who were going to want to do this to her, and there existed even now men who did want to.

Mikoto drew back slightly. Anna's cheeks were slightly red as she gazed up at him.

Slowly, his hand opened under her chin and the calloused skin of his thumb gently brushed along the plump texture of her lips.

There were men who would want to kiss her here too.

Anna did not know what was going on in Mikoto's mind, only that she was enjoying this slow, easy warmth he was cocooning around her with his sweet affection.

Meanwhile, Mikoto knew he had to have a talk with Anna about their sleeping situation.

First and foremost, he was a man.

And Anna was growing into a young woman. He could not pretend that those two things that pressed against his back when she hugged him from behind some mornings didn't exist.

He was a _man_.

He noticed these things.

He couldn't act as though the leg she would sometimes throw over him too was a matchstick. It was damned shapely and he'd be damned if she ever wore short skirts because it would make men trail behind her, drooling with their tongues out like a pack of wild dogs in heat.

And Mikoto would become painfully aware that he was a man no matter how hard he tried to ignore the fact that Anna was growing up-physically.

He did not want to touch her in a way that he should not.

He may be twenty six years old.

Lazy, but responsible.

A king.

But he was only human. He was aware of how she was growing and he did not want to even think about Anna in a way that was not appropriate.

Simply because she was under his protection and his protection did not mean sexually exploiting her for his own selfish means because then he wouldn't be any different from that bastard Mizuchi or even Iwao.

Anna was his to protect, and he would protect her from himself he had to as well.

The problem was with Anna though. She was so trusting of Mikoto that even if she touched her in a way he considered inappropriate, she actually wouldn't mind and would probably welcome whatever he wanted to do.

It wasn't because she was naïve for she would never let another man touch her like that-it was because she had that level of _trust_ in her King.

And that was dangerous for Mikoto because he couldn't even count on her saying 'no' if he did anything to her.

And he _didn't_ want to do anything to her; she was his to protect and he wanted her to grow up to be the person she wanted to be, and to do the things _she_ wanted to do. He did not want to brainwash her into thinking that she solely belonged to him.

Although he liked that idea of her belonging to him and him alone.

But that was dangerous to think too. He was relieved when she had said that she always wanted to be by his side, but it also bothered him as well because the girl probably thought so because of her attachment to Mikoto.

Even after her time at Seneca, her way of thinking didn't seem to change much. Mikoto just wanted her to think for herself, that was all.

It was going to be difficult to talk to her about this, and he would have preferred that Izumo mention it to her, but he knew he owed it to her to explain things properly.

She would probably be a bit upset, but Anna was an understanding girl. She would accept her situation.

"Anna," he began.

Then paused when he realized something. "What are you wearing?"

Anna's cheeks reddened slightly. Over the years she had come to favor frilly nightdresses over pajamas but Izumo had given her a sleeping set as a gift recently.

The material was soft and very warm, but what made this set of pajamas stand out was that at the very front of the top was a huge picture of a smiling Winnie the Pooh while the trousers had pictures of mini Piglets with balloons.

It was something suited for a five or six year old and not really a fourteen year old.

Anna turned her head away, "Izumo thought I would like it,"

Mikoto sat up a little more and turned his head away to hide the mirthful smile that was appearing on his face.

Anna reached up and pressed her hand against his cheek. "Don't laugh at me," she said with slightly narrowed eyes that indicated her aggravation.

Mikoto snorted and caught hold of her wrist as he returned his golden eyes to her. He shoved her hand beside her stomach which was partially exposed as the top of her pajamas was a little short and tended to ride up.

Mikoto was about to move his hand again to bring it beside him and it happened to lightly brush the soft skin at the side of her stomach that was exposed.

Anna let out a soft gasp and Mikoto's eyes flew to her face.

* * *

Izumo was supposed to have been home in his bed, napping already but he had forgotten his PDA in the bar. More than likely, Mikoto wouldn't be bothered to bring it for him and he didn't want to have Anna running around at all hours of the night.

He must have left it in Anna's room after he had popped in to tell her goodnight before he left.

As he headed past Mikoto's door, he immediately froze at the strange noises he was hearing.

_"No...please stop!"_ a female was whimpering.

Izumo's cheeks reddened. Was he hearing what he thought he was hearing?! Izumo had never known Mikoto to bring women to the bar. And what about Anna?!

"_Mikoto...ah! Please!_" the person gasped.

Izumo suddenly realized something.

That female was Anna! Images of a naked Mikoto stripping off Anna's clothing and touching her in places that he shouldn't be touching a fourteen year old was coming to Izumo's mind.

"**_What the heck is going on?!_**" he demanded as he burst through the door, expecting to see some kind of sexual activity going on.

Instead, he found Mikoto sitting beside Anna on the bed.

Her hands were trying to push away his wrist of his hand that was attacking the exposed side of her stomach playfully. She was struggling away while trying very hard to not laugh at when he tickled her.

The pair paused when Izumo came in.

"You're...tickling her?" Izumo asked, stunned.

Mikoto's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. "What did you think we were doing? And why are you back here anyway?"

Izumo sighed, relieved. He decided to ignore Mikoto's question.

"I forgot my PDA,"

"It's on my desk," Anna responded.

"Okay," Izumo replied and turned to go. Anna gasped when she realized that he wasn't going to save her from Mikoto's hand.

She glanced at him, and he smirked.

She tried to wriggled her body away while Izumo left the room, but Mikoto caught hold of both her wrists with one strong hand and pinned them above her head quite easily while his free hand went back to attacking her stomach with his fingers dancing lightly over her skin.

"No," she whimpered and the corners of her mouth were itching to curve upward, but she gasped to hide it.

In response, Mikoto deliberately danced his fingers across her stomach, pushing her shirt upward as it went.

That was when she let it out...a soft little giggle.

Mikoto smirked triumphantly while Anna's giggle was cut short and replaced with an angry look and a downturned mouth.

She looked very much like an upset child like that, especially with her eyes that were watery from how much she had desperately trying not to laugh.

That made Mikoto feel a little nostalgic and his eyes softened a little on her. She was fourteen and she looked much older than her age, but even so, she was still his little Anna and there was still some of her child-like appearance with little childish habits in her, even if she was a little adult inside.

She was a mix of many things, but that was what comprised Anna and made her the person she was.

Mikoto sighed. He could probably talk to her about this tomorrow.

So, he gave her a gentle apologetic kiss on her cheek and then ushered her to the other side of the bed so that he could lay down.

He wrapped her in his arms while she tucked her head under his chin and moved her arm across his chest, enjoying his comfortable warmth.

She was safe here with him, curled up against him in the dark where she was toasty, safe and content like a plump kitten who was cuddled warmly with it's precious owner.

* * *

It was pitch black when Anna awoke and she figured that it had to be about four in the morning.

Normally she would sleep on peacefully, but she had awakened feeling...strange. The atmosphere in the room was thick..._heady_ even.

She currently sleeping at the very edge of the bed while being spooned warmly against Mikoto. His hand was on flat plane of her bare, soft stomach as her pajama top had ridden up to just under her ribs.

His hand wasn't warm-it was _hot_.

Hot enough for her to believe that it would imprint on her skin, but not hot enough for her to feel alarmed about getting burned in any way.

But she was disturbed.

She herself was _feeling_ hot.

Her clothing felt too _tight_.

She wanted to _unbutton_ her pajama top and allow her body to be free of the constraints of the clothing. There was this _ache_ in her body that was driving her mad.

And the worst part about it was that she could still feel Mikoto's fingers dancing on her skin and she was picturing them moving slower...but more sensually.

She wanted that hand that was on her stomach to slide upward and touch her _intimately_.

Anna pressed her hand against her mouth.

She had learned of things like this.

This was called '_libido_'.

Anna had read the reports made on strains who were of her Type and it was said that their libido could be very high.

Anna never took it seriously, but it had happened.

And she was very frightened.

It was normal to feel this way for it was something that happened to both normal humans and strains. It was something biological-a need to have sex.

Anna almost blanched at that thought. She did remember everything from back when she was eleven and she learned about sex, including Mikoto's failed attempt at 'the talk' and Seri Awashima's successful attempt at it. **(A/N:See chapters 2 and 3)**

She had believed that having sex would hurt, that it would be painful and Mikoto had even been content to let her think that way.

But Anna instinctively knew, right now, that it would actually ease this ache she was feeling. She also knew that she was _not_ going to have sex with anyone at age fourteen.

The only person who she would be willing to do that with was the man who was sleeping beside her.

In fact, he was the _only_ man who she believed she would entrust her body to. Right now, he was the man her body was calling out for.

And Anna knew that there was no way in hell, Mikoto was going to have sex with a fourteen year old, _especially_ if it was her.

After all, Mikoto was _not_ Iwao Orochi.

She struggled to calm her breath which she felt was coming in short gasps as that ache just seemed to grow stronger.

She knew she had to get up from here, get out of this...this heat created by Mikoto. For both his sake and hers for he might realize that something was wrong with her and she would be utterly and totally embarrassed if he ever found out.

So, gently, she pushed his arm away from her and replaced herself with Lion-O who was stuck under her pillow.

Quickly, she tiptoed out the door, shut it lightly before hurrying to the bathroom down the hall. There, she stripped off the damned pajamas and switched the shower onto cold.

She stepped inside and took in a full blast of cold water, hoping it would calm her skin that had become so very alive under Mikoto's touch.

* * *

Mikoto had been very much awake.

In fact, he had awakened at the same time as Anna.

The reason was because of that raging hard-on he had. While sleeping, Anna had turned in his arms and had wriggled her backside against him.

He didn't know what she was dreaming, maybe it was her body unconsciously reacting to her hormones.

Whatever the case was, he had awakened as well to a heightened sexual arousal. Years spent on trying to tame that thirst for power inside of him had quelled much of his libido, but because of Anna's presence in his life and the comfort she offered as his security blanket, his power had gradually come under control and now, room was left for him to have a normal, healthy sex drive.

Unfortunately, it ended up awakening when _Anna_ was sleeping in his arms and Mikoto had cursed himself every moment he had awakened until Anna left the room, for not doing something about their sleeping situation.

He had also been about to get the hell out of the room as well before Anna did.

That was because he could sense it.

He could feel it.

His male instincts picked up on the liveliness of her body and his own blood was boiling and raging inside of him.

He was only a man but _bloody hell_, he would rather _die_ than touch Anna in that kind of way!He was _not_ Iwao Orochi who would give into his desires and assault a young girl-no Mikoto had control and he would not be a low down, good for nothing pervert who would exploit a beautiful young girl for his own selfish desires.

He was a man who could recognize tits and ass on a woman, but that did not mean that he was going to use the excuse of having something hanging between his legs to act on these desires simply because there was someone nearby who could relieve him of it. He was like an animal, a monster even, but he was _still_ a human with some sense of morality and principles.

He knew it had to come to an end now-this sleeping situation with Anna. A part of his mind was aware enough to pity her for she was so young and could barely understand what was happening to her.

But he was already focused on himself for he understood well enough what was happening to him!

He had prayed that she would get up soon, and as soon as she had shoved the plushie in his arms and hurried away, he got out of bed and went to his adjoining bathroom, for once thanking Izumo for building it.

He turned the shower onto icy cold and stepped inside, clothing and all.

To hell with sexual desire, he figured.

There was no way in hell that he was going to consider, or even think about Anna as anything more than his little cub. He didn't care that she had breasts, an ass and legs that were too damned shapely for her age.

She was _only_ fourteen.

She was still a _child_.

He was her_ security blanket_.

He was _supposed_ to be like a big brother.

He was supposed to _protect_ her.

And he would **_not_** allow himself to treat her as anything **_less_** than that.

* * *

The cold shower had helped her but Anna's body still felt very sensitive to Mikoto's very presence. So much that when he had come into the kitchen while she had been preparing breakfast for them both, her skin seemed to feel alive at the feel of the heat of his body when he leaned down to kiss her temple as a morning greeting.

If he noticed anything different about her behavior, he didn't say. He seemed more or less normal. Maybe he was quiet but Mikoto was normally quiet as they both ate together in the kitchen.

Anna kept her head lowered to avoid his gaze.

He did not comment on it.

She spent most of the day in her room, pondering what to do with herself.

It was then that she remembered the forms given to her by Sayuri and Ryosuke and she sat on the staircase later that day, skimming through them.

She really didn't have any intention of going but at a time like this when every moment spent close to Mikoto made her painfully aware of her body's desires, this was awfully tempting.

"Anna, what is that?" Izumo questioned.

She looked up, surprised that she hadn't realized that he was coming down the stairs.

She blinked at him, then silently handed him the papers. She had had no intention of showing him the documents, but she couldn't hide them from him now.

Izumo accepted them and skimmed through them. His eyes became serious as he sat beside her on the stops.

"Do you want to work?" he questioned.

"I don't know," she responded.

Izumo looked thoughtful as he read a particular document on the job description.

"It isn't a bad idea and as it's a maid cafe-you do have the look for it,"

Anna glanced at her guardian. "You don't mind?"

Izumo patted her head kindly. "A little responsibility isn't too bad, especially in a very feminine place like a maid cafe. I do get worried about you growing up in this all-male, violent environment sometimes. I think the change would be good for you, even though I don't like that you'll be away from us for a month,"

"You would let me go then?" she questioned.

"Yeah, if it's what you want. It's Mikoto who might be a bit concerned though. But what do _you_ want, Anna?"

She didn't want to go. She wanted everything to go back to the way it was before she discovered that she actually had a libido...where everything between her and Mikoto was innocent with sweet little kisses and cuddles.

Even with his fourteen year old self, it had just been pure sweetness. Just sweet, gentle teenage romance (for her anyway because Mikoto's head was too hard to realize, even at that young age).

Anna just wanted things to be the way they used to be...like when Tatara was alive and everyone was happy. When she would wear that layered ruffled dress of black and red material with her little matching hat as she sat on the couch like a little life sized doll, awaiting her precious King to come home.

When Tatara would be beside her, filming her, or the others.

When everyone would just be _there_.

Laughter and love was spread all around and it was so family-like.

Anna suddenly began to miss Tatara so incredibly.

He was her beloved companion who was taken away from her so cruelly. She had even seen the way he had died as his own precious camera filmed his very death.

"Anna?" Izumo's voice broke into her thoughts.

"I don't know yet," she answered honestly.

Izumo nodded.

"I'll still talk to Mikoto. You just decide what you want to do,"

Anna looked at Izumo and realized that truthfully, he was like a big brother, or a daddy. Maybe she could go as far as to call him 'mommy' and maybe that would make 'Mikoto' the 'daddy' but she didn't really feel like that about Mikoto. She never really had.

In appearance, he could seem like the stoic older brother in her life but she had always seen him as someone whose side she always wanted to remain at. She had always felt that her feelings ran deeper than simply a crush.

But Mikoto regarded her as family, as a little sister even. Izumo had once told her that she was Mikoto's 'cub'.

Yet, her feelings for him had been that of a child with that innocence without anything sexual associated with it.

Now that she discovered what sexual feelings were, she was disgusted with herself and a part of her was afraid that if Mikoto ever found out, he would become disgusted as well. She wanted to just bottle everything up inside.

"Anna, what's wrong?" Izumo asked her.

Ever the perceptive man, Izumo understood when she was feeling down, even if she didn't show it.

Anna remained silent because she didn't know what to say. This was something that she just didn't have the courage to talk to Izumo about.

"I guess it's something girl-related huh?" he murmured.

Anna looked at him sharply. She didn't know he was that perceptive.

Seeing that look, he smiled comfortingly. "Oh? I guessed right?"

Anna looked away from him. Her eyebrows were furrowed slightly.

Izumo sighed. "Anna, you do have friends you know. Your half European companion might be able to help you in some kind of way,"

Anna frowned. Really? Was it possible?

Could she admit to her friend the way she felt for her king?

"Remember that she's close to your age. She might be able to give you the understanding that the rest of us here can't especially as she's a girl too,"

* * *

Anna didn't sleep beside Mikoto that night. She didn't know if he had found it strange or not but her own bed had certainly felt foreign to her. After all, she didn't really sleep there anymore.

But now she would have too.

Her night had been restless. Half the night she had been contemplating just returning to Mikoto's room and snuggling into his arms and acting all spoiled for his affection because she knew he would give it to her.

The other half of her was afraid of herself and her feelings, that sexual desire that had nearly driven her mad before.

And that was what made her stay put before falling into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

Mikoto had made up his mind to talk to Anna about their sleeping situation had she decided to sleep with him again that night.

But she hadn't.

A part of him had been relieved, but the other had been miserable.

Things were changing.

Anna was getting older.

She had to accept it and he had to as well.

The following morning, Anna happened to come across Mikoto as she headed toward the staircase. He was going in the opposite direction toward his bedroom.

He must have showered recently for his hair was slowly springing back up to it's usual pushed back style with the two strands of hair falling forward to touch his forehead. It sometimes amazed her that he didn't really age. He looked the same as when she had first met him.

Of course by then she used to just see the red of his power in his body and it was so beautiful and attractive.

For her, it had been been the most beautiful thing in the world, and it still was. She was only able to really see how he looked when she saw him through her marbles and even then, she had thought he was one of God's more well put together beings for he was quite handsome.

Then somehow, her vision changed and she was able to see much of his physical features, but still with that pretty red, mainly in his chest.

She could now see that attractive face and the defined lines of his physique.

And right now, her female senses were tingling at the sight of his muscles, the spicy scent of male that seemed to exude from him. These were things she had never noted before and felt that she could no longer look him in the eye.

She lowered her head and moved to walk past him. He stopped beside her and placed a gentle hand on her head, startling her.

Gently he ruffled her hair, almost as if comforting her and a silent understanding passed between them.

Yes, it was time they stopped sleeping together for she was not a little girl anymore.

* * *

Anna had spent the day contemplating what to do. She could call Akemi and talk to her for she could have a video chat with her over the phone. She just needed to know how to get around to figuring out what to say.

Anna walked downstairs as she pondered and happened to be behind the slightly ajar door that led into the bar.

Mikoto was being served a drink by Izumo and the pair were conversing about something regarding her.

"Anna slept in her room last night, didn't she? I caught her making up her bed, but I didn't question her,"

Mikoto said nothing to Izumo's words.

"Did something happen?" Izumo pressed wondering if they might have had a fight or a tickle war or something that ended up badly, even though it was unlikely.

"Nothing happened," Mikoto assured him.

"Then how come?"

Mikoto shrugged. "She's not a kid anymore. She's a girl. She needs to sleep in her own room from now on,"

"Yeah, I do agree with that. I used to think that maybe we shouldn't have let her develop that habit of napping with you but I realized over time that you both needed each other like that. You're each other's security blankets,"

Mikoto didn't say anything.

"But I guess everyone has to grow up eventually, even our dear Anna," Izumo chattered on as he checked out the volume a particular bottle of scotch before replacing it. "She's been given a job opportunity in Seneca,"

Mikoto looked at him then.

Anna, behind the door, listened keenly for what Mikoto would have to say. If he said that she should stay home and not work, she would.

A part of her _hoped_ that was what he would say.

Izumo began to explain the details, including that she would be required to go to Seneca for a month's trial.

Mikoto shrugged. "Let her do what she wants,"

Anna's eyes widened at his words and her heart tugged painfully. He _didn't_ say that he wanted her to stay.

She had half expected him to be against it, like he had been when they had been to the shop as customers.

But Mikoto didn't remember the details in his memories. He only had some vague recollections. None of which seemed to become more clarified.

Even Izumo had been surprised. "You don't mind? It's a maid cafe, there will be guys-"

"She isn't a docile girl even if she is quiet. She is a member of the Red clan and we taught her how to defend herself," Mikoto cut him off. Anna had felt a little better at those words. At least he didn't make it sound like she still couldn't protect herself.

"What if she falls for one of the guys?"

"If that's what she wants,"

And Anna's heart hurt a little again. She knew she couldn't expect him to say that he wanted him to be the only guy she would fall for because he was still thirteen years older and a full fledged adult while she was only fourteen.

"You know, the legal age to get married for a girl in Japan is sixteen with parental consent," Izumo was saying carefully.

Mikoto seemed disinterested.

"I would let Anna marry at sixteen,"

Mikoto glared at Izumo then. "Are you stupid? Why would you let that happen?"

"I would only allow her to marry you," Izumo told him.

Anna covered her mouth to keep from gasping while Mikoto voice the words she had almost said aloud.

"What?!"

The bartender proceeded to polish one of his prized glasses. "There is no other person I could entrust her to, Mikoto. She would always be safe with you,"

Anna waited to hear what Mikoto would say.

"You're an idiot, Izumo," Mikoto told him and drank his alcohol.

Anna knew she should have expected him to say that...but it still hurt a lot. Her feelings were very tender and she knew it was silly to hope that Mikoto would agree...but she was a girl, and Mikoto was the man she loved.

It hurt.

A lot.

* * *

Akemi had been packing her things to return to Seneca. She had spent a customary week at home with her father and her bitchy step-mother and sister. Her father hadn't changed. He hadn't changed last summer either when she come back home.

Well, maybe he did feel bad when those two bullied her badly enough and he would buy her something like a dress to make up for it but to her, he was just apologizing for being a coward.

She did love him and it hurt but the pain she had to go through because of those two was not worth her deceiving herself into thinking that things would get better between herself and her dad. There was no way it would once those two were around.

And Akemi was already willing to work things out with her dad.

But he wasn't willing to make a real effort.

Not while he was still married to that witch.

Akemi hoped that when she returned to Seneca, Anna got to work with her as well. It would be so awesome!

Akemi also recalled learning that Mikoto Suoh wasn't really fourteen-he was actually much older.

It had been last year, on Saturday morning after the dance and Akemi and Kei had gone for a walk and had found Anna and Mikoto getting ready to leave.

Only this guy was tall.

Awfully tall.

He was athletic looking, handsome and they, of course, did not know that he was Mikoto. In fact, they had thought he was his brother.

"_Anna, are you going home again...and whoa! Is that Mikoto-san's brother?!" Kei gasped._

_Akemi was at his side as the two gazed in shock at the tall man who glanced at them, then looked away, quite disinterested._

_Before Anna could answer, Izumo placed his hands on the two teens' shoulders._

"_That is Mikoto-san,"_

_The girl and the boy gazed at him in shock, but before they could ask, Izumo pressed a finger to his lips and winked, "Let's call it magic. Remember kids, in exchange for you keeping your memories, you **cannot** ask questions,"_

_The two nodded quickly._

_Anna turned to her friends and bowed politely before she went to the car that would take them back to the city. _

They never asked Anna as they had been instructed not to ask and Anna never told them. Akemi sighed as she dropped a brush in her suitcase. Tomorrow, tomorrow she would be halfway to Japan already.

She looked forward to having a nice hot bowl of genuine Japanese ramen!

Or green tea ice cream for those hot summer days.

Suddenly, her PDA rang. It was on her bed.

Startled, Akemi picked it up and realized that it was the phone app that allowed her to have video calls with others. Akemi had never had reason to use it, but now it seemed she did. So, she answered the call and was shocked to see Anna's face.

"Anna! I was just thinking of you! How are you?" she asked enthusiastically.

All the way over in Japan, Anna greeted her friend politely.

Akemi, having been Anna's friend for some time now, could tell when something was bothering her.

"Anna? Is something wrong?" she questioned.

"Akemi..." Anna began but her voice trailed off.

Akemi smiled encouragingly. "Hey, you can talk to me," Akemi assured her.

Anna actually looked physically uncomfortable. Akemi didn't push her. Anna was like a little animal one had to coax out. Too much pressure would scare her off, so Akemi waited.

"Akemi," Anna began again.

"Yes?" Akemi asked with a kind smile.

Anna's cheeks reddened slightly. "Do you remember that ethics class we had on...sex and development?"

Akemi sighed. "Of course I do. I hated that class because everything seemed so embarrassing back then!"

"Akemi...is it normal?" Anna queried.

Akemi frowned. "The class you mean? Yeah I guess it's probably normal for other schools, and-"

"No, I mean what we were taught," Anna said.

"You mean about sex?" Akemi questioned.

Anna's face on the screen of her PDA nodded.

Akemi shrugged. "Well yeah. It is a normal part of life you know,"

"Is it normal to _want_ it?"

Akemi snorted. "Of course it is! If that wasn't the case, prostitution and porn wouldn't be such a big industry in the world! Heck, the world wouldn't be so populated either by humans!"

"Even...us?" Anna asked.

Akemi blinked. Then she smiled gently, understanding. Akemi herself had had a hard time growing up without a mother but she did have caretakers when she was up to twelve years old in Europe who educated her these things so she knew it was perfectly alright.

"Yes Anna, it's _very_ normal," she assured her.

Anna looked a bit relieved.

"Anna, do not worry about this, you will be just fine," Akemi continued. However she could tell that something else was on Anna's mind.

"Is something else bothering you?"

To Akemi's shock, she saw what seemed to be sadness in Anna's eyes by the way her eyebrows furrowed.

"Anna?"

"Akemi...what's it like to love someone who you know won't love you back because you're too little?" she questioned.

Akemi blinked twice, wondering what brought on such a question. Then she remembered that some time ago, Akemi had asked Anna if she had someone she liked and Akemi had realized by Anna's hesitation that yes, she did. Anna had admitted that the person was older and when Akemi asked that if he was also one of Anna's brother's friends, Anna had affirmed 'yes'. **(A/N: See first part of Chapter 26).**

In fact, based on the interaction between Anna and Mikoto when he had been attending the school for two weeks and looked like age fourteen, they had both been more like a pair in a romantic relationship rather than siblings.

Akemi now wondered if that person was Mikoto-san. She always said that she liked a certain shade of red and Mikoto had red hair and was the king of a Red Clan although Akemi still didn't understand what that meant.

"Is it Mikoto?" Akemi pressed.

Anna nodded and she began to pour out her heart to her friend over the love she had for Mikoto and the fact that he would not see her that way because she was so young.

Akemi looked thoughtful afterward, "Maybe if you were older..."

"But I'm not," Anna pointed out.

"I know. Well, maybe when you _get_ older,"

Anna looked a little sad. She seemed to doubt that.

"It's understandable that he wants to protect you from everyone, even himself," Akemi said.

Anna nodded.

"But it still hurts," the blond continued on a sympathetic note.

Again, Anna nodded.

Akemi commented in an off-hand manner, "I guess that because he sees you so often he's become so familiar with you that he can hardly think of you as anything other than the girl he protects and cares for like a family member,"

Anna blinked at her. "You think if he saw less of me he might see me as a woman when I get older?"

Akemi laughed nervously then. "Hey Anna, I didn't say that you know,"

"It was different when he was fourteen," the strain murmured quietly.

Akemi smiled sadly. "I know. I saw it. You were like a couple together,"

Anna blinked at her. "Really?"

Akemi nodded. "Anna, maybe there is hope for you both. You just need to grow a little more,"

Anna was quiet. She felt a lot better after she spoke to her friend. A lot better know that what she felt was normal, and it also felt a lot better to have spoken to someone who understood her feelings toward Mikoto, and to have comforting words given to her about the entire situation.

"Anna, are you taking you job? Kei already told me that he's accepted it,"

Anna nodded.

Yes, maybe it would be best for her to do this on her own for a little while.

* * *

Izumo was helping Anna load her luggage into the trunk that would take her back to Seneca. Because the dorms were being cleaned for the Summer, Akemi was permitted to rent an apartment, helped paid for by the school, until the Summer was over. Natsume offered to have Anna stay with her again but Anna declined this time, feeling that maybe she needed to outgrow some of that overprotective cocoon that everyone in the Red Clan insisted on casting over her. They were also growing more paranoid as days passed along and she developed a more womanly figure.

Of course Yuki Natsume was not keen on letting two young girls stay alone in Seneca so she had some of her guards who patrolled the area to keep an eye on her other students who rented, station themselves nearby. She also insisted that Anna make a phonecall to Izumo in the morning before she left for work, and another in the evening when she returned to the apartment with Akemi.

They also wouldn't be too far from the school itself as it was only a fifteen minute walk to get back there and the cafe was a five minute walk away from their apartment.

Anna was quite sure that she would miss her clansmen, and her King but she also knew that she was going to learn certain things while living on her own for a little while. She would work for that month and if Sayuri found her suitable, she would take her on as a part-timer when the new school term opened so Anna would still be able to return home to Homra for a few weeks.

The decision had been very last minute and Anna was in a way glad that much of her clansmen didn't know because they would fuss and argue about her leaving and working and they would probably cry long tears about her going which would make her become indecisive and change her mind.

But Anna knew she needed to do this for herself. It was a means of learning more about the outside world on her own and perhaps in her own way, understanding things that were not Homra better, things that ordinary people did that was not clan-related.

She also knew that this is what Mikoto seemed to want for her. He didn't say it, but he did seem to be in some way silent way say it since she had been forced to go to Seneca for schooling.

She supposed that in some way, Mikoto felt she might have been a lot happier with her own family, had it not been for being born a strain. Anna would never argue about something like that because she had been very happy her parents and her aunt when she had been very young, and many times it still ached to have them leave her the way they did-her parents dying, her aunt eventually basically abandoning her-but she loved Homra and she loved everyone in it. They were her new family and they didn't replace her parents or her aunt, but they did fill her with joy and love which was what a family should do.

She supposed that because she had come into the clan under conditions that was different from most members, Mikoto just wanted for her to experience the ordinary world for a little while and understand the way of normal people's lives. It wasn't really for the purpose of teaching her that an ordinary life was better in any kind of way, but simply for her to understand it because as she grew older, she would have to interact more and more with ordinary people without the protection of her red clansmen in either school or at home in Homra.

And either way, she would always come home to them eventually anyway.

Anna just wondered if he really didn't mind her going at all, if he wouldn't miss her the way he did when she left for school on Monday mornings.

Mikoto came outside wearing his normal white t-shirt and blue jeans. He had his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Hey," he greeted her.

Anna turned to him as Izumo loaded the last bit of luggage.

Anna was dressed up as a normal teen today wearing on blue jeans and a red frilly top. Her hair was combed back into a ponytail and devoid of any accessories.

She wore on black mary jane shoes, but they were flat.

Anna walked up to him, a little shyly. Thankfully, much of those feelings she had been experiencing had simmered down a bit, allowing her to be near him so she approached him shyly.

"You're going, huh?" Mikoto asked.

Anna nodded. Her hands were clasped together in front of her and her head was lowered.

"I see," he murmured and ruffled the hair on top of her head lightly.

"Mikoto," she voiced his name softly.

He glanced down at her as her head tilted upward to look at him with saddened gray eyes.

"Will...you miss me?" she questioned.

Mikoto frowned at her words.

Then, he sighed and lowered his head so that he could kiss her forehead gently.

"Stupid," he murmured gruffly as he drew back.

Anna's cheeks reddened slightly and she managed a tiny smile. That was his way of saying, 'of course I will'.

She then reached up and caught hold of his shoulders, startling him. Moving to the very tip of her toes, she managed a light peck on his cheek.

"I will miss Mikoto too," she confessed when she lowered herself to the floor.

"Anna, it's all in!" Izumo called to her.

Anna glanced at him, nodded, then looked up at Mikoto. He nodded to her and she did the same.

She hurried over to Izumo and he hugged her.

Then, the king and his second in command watched as Anna climbed into the car. Izumo waved her off as the car drove away.

"Feels like the first time she went to Seneca all over again," Izumo muttered.

Mikoto grunted and pulled away Izumo's cigarette from his hand before he could light it. Izumo frowned.

"I thought you stopped,"

The King shrugged. He was really itching for a cigarette today. Maybe it was Anna's leaving them that brought this on.

"I almost regret signing those papers," Izumo continued as he searched around for another cigarette.

Mikoto blew out a puff of smoke before turning away and calmly saying, "All cubs grow up one day,"

* * *

_**A/N: This is supposed to be the last chapter. I wanted to end it here, but I think I should put in a very short epilogue in order to wrap things up properly and connect any loose ends etc.. I'm taking a little break after this but the sequel will be up in about two weeks. I will let you know more about it when I post up the epilogue.**_

_**I also apologize for the angsty way it ended and I am quite sure this chapter was very depressing :/ **_

_**Thank you, all of you who reviews, follows and favorites this story. I truly appreciate it. **_

_**The part about Homra's reaction to Yata's girlfriend should be credited to Arius the Heretic who basically pointed out to me that it would be fun to see the rest of Homra's reaction to Yata's girlfriend. **_

_**If you're a fan of Mikoto x Anna, which I assume you would be because you read this story :) , you will like the new chapter of K memory of Red which focuses on Anna and Mikoto. An english version is not up yet on manga sites but Aqua Scans are the ones who do work on it so let's thank them for all their hard work-THANK YOU GUYS!**_

_**The raws are up, I saw them on 99manga which is not an english website. I think it's totally japanese but you can google '99manga K' and see what comes up. The tumblr of frostkieran also has a script translation of it, so let's thank this person as well for their effort. **_

_**For all who reviewed:**_

**sereneskydragonslayer: Well, thankfully he's back to normal now so they won't have to put up with little bratty Mikoto :)**

**xNightDreamerx: Thanks for pointing out those errors. I dug out a couple more when I reviewed the document to correct those errors you showed me. Thanks so much :)**

**Ashley xo: Aww...thanks so much! I'm truly glad that you think so well of me. Thank you :) I may not be writing anymore on Izumo and Seri for a while. Sorry :/ But i hope you continue to enjoy this story and it's sequel. **

**WitchyCloudPine: Thank you so much! You're an awesome writer yourself you know! You're probably feeling a bit sad for Anna because this chapter was a bit depressing :/ I promise that the sequel will be a bit better.**

**Blueeyes775: I only made it so far because I had many wonderful people, like yourself supporting me and encouraging me to keep writing :) I never really considered writing in a fanfic with Fushimi, Chie, Yata and Emi but I will consider it, or I will write more of them in the sequel because I hadn't really expected a lot of people to like them so much :) Thanks for your positive words about my OC, they brightened up MY day :)**

**Indochine: I'm glad you like those parts! I'm not really a fan of Kuro, Shiro or Neko...I had only started to really get into them in earlier chapters when I had Neko appear but the focus remained on Anna and Mikoto who I love so much! I want to write in a very short epilogue before I start the next chapter and because it's short, God willing, it will be up soon. Thanks for PMing me about the latest chapter! OMG! I loved that chapter!**

**Kuramaxchan:Bonjour! Ma maîtrise du français est très limité, mais grâce à google translate, j'ai été capable de comprendre ce que vous disiez à moi! Je vous remercie pour vos aimables paroles. Je les apprécie vraiment. Je pense aussi que ce serait une mauvaise idée pour Seri quitter le clan bleu mais dans cette histoire, même si elle a des sentiments pour Reisi, Izumo reste son premier amour. C'est pourquoi ils ont pu embrasser comme ça. Je suis heureux que vous ayez apprécié. Merci pour revoir :)**

**XxXxSayuri-chanxXxX: Hey, I just realized that my latest OC is named Sayuri-same as you! Aw..I'm so sorry to hear that your internet connection is that bad! I hope it improves soon! I'm also glad you enjoyed those parts! Your conscience bothered you because Anna was basically a child and Mikoto is an adult? Don't worry, I won't ship little girls and adults together in a sexual relationship or even a romantic one. It's only now you're seeing something kind of developing, but Anna is too young as yet ;) And yes, they kissed each other!**

**Mienchan-ish: Thanks dudette!**

**rockbabyval: Thank you!**

**Flower 117: It may not be out for a long time. Probably not until I'm maybe done with the sequel but I hope you enjoy the sequel because it will be filled with lots of Anna x Mikoto moments :) I'm also glad you liked the cameo :)**

**TheRoseShadow21: I'm glad you like the dresses! I wish I looked half as good as I imagined that they would! LOL**

**LittleWeirdo: I'm pleased that you were so enthusiastic! Yes, Kuro and his recorder! I saw a poster with him holding it up proudly in his hand *smh***

**LindyLinn: Aww...he was cute! A cute little brat! I'm pleased that you liked all those moments with Emi, Chie and Yata :)**

**danihasacookie: I'm glad you liked those parts! Yay! Hope you liked this chapter too :)**

**laxus23: I'm glad you liked those parts, and that is a very lovely thing for you to say :)**

**SpiritedQueen: I'm happy to know you liked it! Seri, Izumo and Munakata romantic chapters probably won't come out for a while, but when it does I will probably let everyone known in an A/N in the sequel :)**

**D: Yes, it is my dear! I've been letting everyone know in the last few chapters in the A/N that this story is coming to an end and that there will be a sequel. I will let you know more on it in the epilogue of this story :)**

**Hodgeheg: I haven't had a chance to check it out yet, but when I do, I will let you know :) I'm glad you liked those parts and now it seems that Fushimi's attitude toward Yata hasn't changed :/ Btw, it will be 48 chapters I think not 50 but I hope you enjoyed each and every one of the chapters :)**

**ladeste: It's alright! At least you caught up :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**

**Bre Renee: Aw...I'm so sorry! Maybe the sequel would be better for you! I come up with these things by thinking about what I would like to see and what I think is funny and seems others like yourself think it's funny and good too! I think this chapter might have really crushed your dreams into smithereens...don't worry, the sequel will be better :)**

**magicalnana: Hi there, and thanks so much for all your reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much and I hope you move onto the sequel (whenever I post it up) after this. Take care and God bless :)**

_**Thanks again everyone. Let me know your thoughts on this chapter. God bless :)**_

_**PS: Feel free to point out any errors.**_


	48. Epilogue: Haircut

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

_Rated 'T'_

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

**Epilogue: Haircut**

The uniform was red with ruffled edges that were lined with black. The sleeves were puffed and then pulled tightly about her slender arms with a small, black button. The aprons were white and also had ruffled edges and black linings. The shoes that were required were black mary janes, thigh high stockings that had red ribbons on either side.

Anna liked them a lot. She even liked the little hat she was required to wear.

"Anna," Akemi voiced her name.

Anna turned around and looked at her friend who looked quite lovely in her uniform. It fit her quite nicely, holding her hips well and the tie of the apron allowing a flair at her sides. Akemi's long, golden hair was tied into a high ponytail that fell down her back thick curls. Some of it also was left to flow down the side of her face, bringing out the brilliant blue of her eyes.

Anna herself looked quite lovely with her thick, long pale hair combed out and allowed to curtain her back. Her eyelashes were long and her face was so pretty, especially with those wide, dark eyes.

"You cut your hair," Akemi stated.

Anna nodded. Yes, she had.

It had taken a lot for her to make that decision but she had to do it because the ends of her hair were becoming so difficult to maintain and had even begun to develop split ends. She had had to cut off about four inches and those four inches was the hair that had been with her when she had first come to Homra with her aunt. It was the last bit of hair her mother had combed .

"_Such pretty hair you have, sweetheart," her beautiful mother said to her as she combed it out neatly. She proceeded to tie a black ribbon into her hair. The older woman kissed her little girl's cheek. "I wish we didn't have to cut it,"_

It was the last bit of her hair her aunt had lovingly cared for.

"_Anna, your hair is getting a bit longer. You look a lot like mommy," Honami told her gently. Anna blinked up at the pretty older woman. Honami immediately looked a little contrite. She hugged her niece and apologized. "I'm sorry, Anna, if I made you sad."_

_Anna shook her head as she clung to her aunt. She did feel a little sad, but she did not want her aunt to know that. _

This was also the first bit of hair Izumo threw a fit over.

"_Anna's hair has become very long, Kusanagi-san. Perhaps we should trim it little," Kamamoto suggested as he combed Anna's hair while she sat on a stool in the bar._

_Izumo, who had been pouring Mikoto a drink, jumped as if someone had poked him unexpectedly. "Cut her hair? Absolutely not!"_

_Three pairs of eyes blinked at Izumo in confusion. Other eyes belonging to Yata and Bando fell on him as well as they turned to see what the commotion was about. _

_Izumo reached across and took hold of a strand of Anna's long hair. "Can't you see the beauty of this? It's as white as a swan and soft as rose petals! There are few women out there with hair of this quality and texture! It's like wine: it gets better with age!"_

_Everyone remained silent and Izumo calmly released Anna's hair and patted her on her head. "Take proper care of your hair, Anna. It's of the finest quality,"_

_Someone coughed and Kamamoto happened to speak up. "Er...with all due respect, Kusanagi-san...but how did you come to appreciate women's hair like that?"_

_Izumo shrugged with a nice smile. "I've met many interesting women in my lifetime,"_

"_But that doesn't explain how you got to know their hair," Yata pointed out._

_Mikoto, who had been quietly sipping his drink all the time, spoke then, "Because he spent a lot of time with his hands in their hair,"_

It was the first bit of hair Mikoto had ever patted kindly on her head.

_People could say that he was frightening and a monster, cruel and could destroy others with a mere touch of his hand, but the hand that was gently patting her head was kind. There was no roughness nor cruelty in it. _

Anna suppressed a sigh as she recalled the tender moments she shared with Mikoto regarding her hair.

_Anna was lying on her back with thin blankets thrown over her on this cool Summer morning. One of her hands was beside her head, the palm opened, while the other was over her stomach. Her long, long hair was spilled in beautiful waves over her shoulders and down her arms. _

_Anna stirred when she felt movement of her hair. _

_Slowly, she opened her eyes and caught sight of Mikoto lying down beside her, leaning on his elbow with his face in his hand as he casually observed her hair as if it intrigued him somehow._

"_Mikoto?" she whispered his name sleepily as he head turned slightly to look at him with bleary eyes._

_He glanced at her and released her hair, letting it fall softly beside her again._

_Then, without warning, he buried his nose at her temple. She let out a soft token of protest which sounded more like a little mewl, but Mikoto ignored her, and using his hands, he pressed her into the bed by his shoulders as he continued nuzzling her until she fell back into her deep sleep. _

Mikoto really did have some strange habits with all that affection lion-like nuzzling. She was just as weird because somehow it's effects on her made her sleepy.

How ironic that before she left, he had not been able to give her a last nuzzle. She liked when he did that, although sometimes he used her sleepiness to his advantage and forced her to take a nap for some reason or the other.

It had always been so sweet to be in his arms as they slept, cuddled warmly against his large body.

But even she could not deny that she was getting older. She was growing and there were ups and downs of growing up but she was handling it and she hoped that someday, she could return to Homra for good and not be forced to go to school. She hoped that one day she could sleep in Mikoto's arms again, and this sexual desire that wracked her body would be under her control.

Older, she had to get a little older so Mikoto wouldn't use the excuse that she was too little anymore. She had to get stronger so that no one from the clan could claim that she couldn't protect herself.

It was the very hair that Tatara had flattered her continuously for.

_The handsome young man ran a brush through the girl's longish, pale colored hair. "Anna has such pretty hair," he crooned at her. He had her on his lap as they sat on the chair in front of her dresser. The mirror on it showed their reflections: Totsuka with his trademark smile and Anna with her ever blank expression. _

_He stroked the brush through the strands of soft, soft hair. "It's so white...almost like marble, and yet as soft as silk. Anna's hair is very unique!" he complimented her. _

_Totsuka was always one to compliment her and let her know how pretty she was. It wasn't that he was insincere about his words; he was quite honest and could not lie to Anna because she would more than likely suspect any dishonesty in him by now. Totsuka simply tried to keep Anna from shutting herself away from him and everyone else. He loved to keep her out in the open and took her out as often as he could. _

_When she spent too much time with Mikoto in his room, he would come in and take her out. "Can't have you getting like King, Anna. You're much too young and pretty to become old and lazy like that," Totsuka told her when she tilted her head in confusion after he woke her up from napping beside Mikoto. _

_Mikoto, in the bed behind him, merely snorted and turned the other way. He didn't scold Totsuka for he was not offended in anyway; after all, he really did shut himself up too much sometimes and really didn't want Anna to take on those habits of his. _

A wave of grief passed over Anna as she recalled her dead friend. His red had been small compared to the others, but it had been the one to shine the most brilliantly. Being away from home like this made her miss him even more although his death occurred about three years ago. The pain of having him taken from her still remained.

But there were other people who came into her life. People like Akemi.

Anna tied her apron properly before taking a notepad and sticking it into the front pocket of her apron. She nodded to Akemi who gave her a thumbs up.

Anna gave a tiny smile and walked out the door that led to the kitchen and then out into the restaurant area itself.

She passed Sayuri who smiled encouragingly.

Yes, there had been new people to enter into her life, including the Natsume family who loved her as their own.

All of these people held their own place in her heart and she never considered them a substitute for Tatara.

Anna bypassed the waiting area where Kei was. He was dressed smartly in black trousers, a white long sleeved shirt with a red vest over it. His hair was combed back and he looked quite handsome. He smirked at her and Anna had an urge to roll her eyes. Kei was in his own way saying, 'Knock 'em dead, Anna!'

He meant well, and she appreciated that.

And not even he was considered a replacement for her deceased friend.

Even if he smiled like him.

He mouthed to Anna, 'Nice hair cut,' although it was basically the same hairstyle she had.

Yes, her hair had sentimental value and that was why she had ended up having the hairdresser gather up the ends and putting it into a bag for her. The hairdresser had cried long tears and hadn't wanted to cut it, but inevitably, she had to.

So, Anna's hair was still long, all the way to her backside but not as far as thighs as they had been before.

* * *

Currently, Anna became aware that as she moved around, many people-several of who were males- gave her strange looks and as a girl she had come to recognize that they were appreciating her for the good looks they believed she had.

But Anna's priority was not to interact as anything more than a waitress to them. She was here to learn a little independence and earn some cash that would support her in the long run.

She waited for Kei to open the door to the pair of college boys who entered the building. They blushed red when they saw Anna.

Anna bowed politely.

This was it.

This was what she was going to do. She took this job to get away from Mikoto because of her feelings for him-both emotional and sexual.

She was going to grow more and take care of herself and tame these feelings somehow. She would always be the princess of the Red Clan but she knew that the innocence of her childhood feelings for Mikoto were gone now that understood that her body reacted to his with a strong desire.

Everything was different now. She couldn't cuddle with him in bed anymore and neither could be so free with affection for each other anymore.

It didn't mean that all the affection would stop...it would just ease up a bit. That was a bit sad because Anna relished every moment she spent with him.

Anna was going to try to understand herself a little more and she would not have bright expectations for the future, but she would take each day at a time and think positively. So, for now, she was going to work for a little while away from Homra and live her life a bit independently of them for this short time.

This was _it_.

She was a working girl now.

******"_Okaerinasaimase, goshujinsama_," she greeted her customers in a soft, cool voice.

* * *

Somewhere, further away in Shizume City, Mikoto Suoh pulled out a cigarette. He proceeded to light it as he gazed at the collage of photos Izumo had stuck on a wooden plaque on the wall. There were pictures of the clan members over the years.

Mikoto blew out a puff of smoke and shoved a hand in his pocket as he observed them. There was one with himself and Izumo in their younger days when Izumo had now opened up the bar as officially his own. He was pouring Mikoto a drink.

There were some with Yata bullying Bando, another with Fujishima surrounded by stray cats climbing all over him.

There was that one with Tatara who was playing his guitar and singing while Anna sat beside him, ever primly when she was about ten years old. She was listening to him keenly and she even had a little smile on her face.

Mikoto lifted his hand and touched it to the picture. He did miss that grinning fool, Totsuka Tatara greatly. He was the only one who had been able to calm his power when it rioted out of control. Over time, when Anna became more and more emotionally involved with Mikoto, she was the one to calm him, but in a different way...she literally tamed that monstrous power inside of him and soothed his restless heart.

He was already missing her.

Another picture had several clan members in it, including Tatara. It was their last picture of him before he had died and he had his arm around Yata's neck. Izumo was holding up a polished glass and Kamamoto was standing nearby with his hands shoved in his pockets.

Anna was standing beside Mikoto who was sitting and her very little hands were around his wrist. Mikoto's fingertips pressed against her face.

A lower one was the one that Kamamoto had taken of Anna kissing Mikoto's cheek on his twenty fifth birthday, right before she left to go to Seneca. That had been a miserable day, just as the other day when Anna had left.

_They had both unknowingly come to show such affection freely and easily as if it was the most normal thing in the world-kisses on the cheek, forehead and temple was so common now as were hugs and cuddles which had previously been only occasionally and normally Anna would be the one to initiate them. Mikoto could never understand how it was that he was able to easily fall into the routine of cuddling Anna every night and nuzzling her hair every morning. Was he really that much of a lion? He knew that lions loved affection, so he started to assume that because he was just like one as well, it was normal to want and give that kind of physical comfort, especially from Anna, his cub, his 'security blanket'. _

Other photos showed Anna as she aged, several with other clansmen. The most recent one, she was sitting at the bar, wearing on her red and white dress while sitting on a barstool. There was a little black kitten curled up on her lap while Mikoto stood next to her, giving the thing a lopsided frown. The cat had seemed to really love Anna and Fujishima had been poking at Izumo to let her adopt it.

Of course, Izumo had refused.

"If I didn't know either of you, I would have thought you were a couple in that picture," came the voice of the bartender himself as he stood behind his King, his friend.

Mikoto glanced at him from over his shoulder, then tsked in annoyance. "Stop saying stupid things, Izumo,"

Izumo shrugged and walked over to his side. "It isn't stupid. I know you and I know you would want Anna all to yourself,"

"That's selfish," Mikoto pointed out.

"Since when did you care about whether or not you were being selfish?" Izumo countered.

Mikoto glared at him. "Since I decided that I didn't like the idea of robbing the cradle,"

Izumo sighed. "You look younger than you really do, Mikoto and Anna looks older," Izumo pressed his fingers to the picture. "You look like a very handsome couple. I wonder what your kids would turn out like?"

Mikoto growled lowly like an annoyed lion. "Go to hell, Izumo,"

Izumo knew he was walking on thin ice, talking these things with Mikoto but he did continue on, "I know you won't interfere with a fourteen year old girl and I certainly wouldn't want you to, but I would still allow you to marry Anna when she turns sixteen,"

"Anna has a right to choose what she wants to do," Mikoto told him and walked off.

Even if deep down, a part of him was willing to do that in order to keep Anna at his side-not necessarily because he lusted after her; simply because he cared so much for her. But Mikoto pushed those feelings aside in consideration for Anna, who was so young. It would probably _kill_ him if some guy swept her away because that would mean that she would no longer be at his side as he wanted her to remain. He didn't know what the future held, but for some reason, the words of his deceased comrade came to his mind:

"_Don't worry! It'll all work out somehow!"_

* * *

**_A/N: VERY IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ AS IT GIVES INFORMATION ON THE SEQUEL!_**

**_**According to Wikipedia, this means 'Welcome home, master/mistress._**

**_Yes, this is not the total end of this story as there will be a sequel. I will notify you when I post up the sequel. _**

**_About the sequel: It is going to be M rated and with more romance in it. The M rating does not necessarily mean that I will be writing lemons, but there will be highly suggestive situations. If I do decide to write anything that should be rated higher than 14+, I will give a warning because I know that I have some very young readers. In the event that does happen, and you know you are underaged, please use your discretion when reading._**

**_More than likely, there will also be some time-skips as well. _**

**_The sequel should be up within two weeks or so because I need to focus on my exams and some personal issues right now. Unless I end up getting a job, or there's some emergency, then that will be the only reason why the sequel won't be out until then._**

**_I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who supported me and really, really encouraged me to keep writing. Your words are what kept me writing this story although there were times I actually wanted to give up (like after episode 13 of the anime)._**

**_Thank you also for supporting my OCs, I really, really appreciated that. Akemi, Kei, Sayuri, Aoi and the Natsume family will definitely be in the sequel. I hadn't planned to really include Chie and Emi, but it seems that a lot of people wanted to see them more so maybe I will add in a couple of scenes with them._**

**_I think that the genre for the sequel will be Romance/Drama, but it will include other elements, including Hurt/Comfort, Humor, Action and Mystery. _**

**_I honestly don't know how many chapters it will be. _**

**_Well, until then, thank you again everyone, thank you for reading._**

**_Thank you, all of you who reviewed, followed and favorited this story. _**

**_For those who reviewed:_**

**laxus23: There will be a sequel to continue from here so you can look out for that :)**

**SalamanderNatsu17: You would need to reread chapter 46 when Mikoto changed to 8, then 26 :)**

**xNightDreamerx: Thanks again for pointing that out and I'm really glad that you liked that chapter! It was a bit depressing so I was wondering how everyone's reactions to it would be!**

**nannerlovessnickers: Not completely! Remember there's going to be a sequel. **

**Little Weirdo: Aww...you really do have some lovely words to say. Thank you so me, you're very motivating :) Ps-Hope you liked the epilogue :D**

**Ashley xo: Yes, the chapter was so cute! And I loved Anna's pjs!**

**sereneskydragon: Yes, he definitely is being more careful :)**

**WitchyCloudPine: Wow, your words were a real compliment! Thank you so much! Study hard for your final exams! I'm sure you'll do awesome! Best of luck :)**

**LindyLin: Thank you so much for those kind words :)**

**Mizouji: Yes, I will definitely work on the sequel and God willing, within two weeks it should be out! Thanks so much for your kind words, because they encourage me to keep writing! And thanks again for all your hard work, you and the rest of guys at Aqua Scans. My doc prescribed me a bunch of meds...so my mouth has this really bad taste of pills in it all the time *smh* otherwise I'm doing better :)**

**Officialcat: Aw...well I hope that the sequel brings a big smile to your face!**

**lilkitty: Yep, that was the exact purpose of that chapter! Thanks for reviewing! :)**

**XxXxSayuri-chanxXxX: For some reason I thought Sayuri would be a cool name for the boss at the maid cafe :) Yes, that quote does apply to Anna and Mikoto and I think this epilogue kind of explains it in terms of Anna having to learn to tame her feelings for him. Yes, there will definitely be a sequel :)**

**Indochine: Yes, I will be posting up the sequel! Within two weeks, a continuation! Don't worry, it's not over! Thanks for those nice words about the chapter. I found the story as well and it really was a bit sad. Maybe by some miracle, Mikoto is still alive. So, this part of the story is over, but there is going to be a sequel and I will post it up in this story when the sequel comes out :) **

**Arius the Heretic: Thank you!**

**ladeste: Yes, it is over, but look out for the sequel :)**

**magicalnana: Hello again, and thank you so much for your reviews. Your words are very motivational to me! I am very pleased to know that you enjoyed the story so much and there will definitely be romance in the sequel. Thank you again for your reviews, and I look forward to hearing from you again when I start the sequel. PS: I don't mind that your review was long at all :)**

**Flower 117: Thanks for those words about the story. I don't know if I would have Anna get a boyfriend in the sequel, but we'll see how things go :) It is true that I've never really come across anyone else who really ships those two together. I think Maria is perfect for a playboy like Chitose because he would be too afraid to flirt with other girls because she's so scary when she's mad :) Another lovely reviewer encouraged me to have a look at Psycho-pass. I looked at a few episodes and Akane and Kogami seem like a really interesting pairing. My only problem is that I'm afraid that one or the other ends up getting killed. I know there's an ongoing manga on it, so if it ends up that Kogami or Akane ends up dying, it will be like episode 13 of K for me again :/ When I get some time, I will check out the other episodes. **

**_Thanks again every for all your support._  
**

**_Your excitement for the sequel makes me excited too!_**

**_So, for now, this will be the end. _**

**_Take care, and God bless :)_**

**_PS: If you see any errors, feel free to point them out to me. _**


	49. IMPORTANT AN (and bonus chapter)

_I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands._

_I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on._

_Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna._

**_A/N: THE SEQUEL WILL BE OUT SOON, MAYBE TOMORROW OR THE FOLLOWING DAY. I'VE ALREADY COMPLETED THE FIRST CHAPTER AND I'M JUST DOUBLE-CHECKING A COUPLE OF THINGS TO MAKE SURE IT'S ALRIGHT BEFORE POSTING IT UP._**

**_****BEFORE YOU READ THE SEQUEL, PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AT THE OTHER MATERIAL ON K ASIDE FROM THE ANIME, INCLUDING THE MANGA-'K: MEMORY OF RED' WHICH CAN BE FOUND ON ALMOST ANY MANGA WEBSITE, AS WELL AS THE TRANSLATIONS FOR THE NOVELS, SIDE STORIES AND RADIO DRAMAS AND DVD DRAMAS. THESE ARE THE FOLLOWING TUMBLRS YOU CAN SEARCH OUT FOR THE TRANSLATIONS:_**

**_-trashbunny and zeheart for K: Side Red, the novel (or check out the 'K:Side Red tags on tumblr and the translations should come up). _**

**_-chilly-territory for most, if not all the translations of the side stories, including the recent ones posted up on Gora's website._**

**_-marchen v friedhof also has some translations and gives additional info on any updates by Gora. _**

**_There are some others I think, but you can also check out youtube because someone posted up subtitled versions of some of the dramas. I will mention it again in the first chapter of the sequel. The reason why I want everyone to have a look at the other material is because I will mention it a lot in the sequel and I cannot promise that I will always remember to mention where a particular activity came from, although I will try to reference it if I do remember. _**

**_THIS IS A SHORT BONUS CHAPTER FOR EVERYONE WHO LIKED LION-O. ENJOY :)_**

**_PS: Anna is around thirteen in this chapter :)_**

_**GROWING PAINS**_

by chickypeg

Bonus Chapter: The Life Of A Plushie

Once, Anna had held Lion-O between her hands and really looked into his beady black eyes. She stroke away some of his red mane from his face and turned him to the side, looking at him more. She was kneeling beside Mikoto on his bed and he faced the other way from her.

Anna had never really thought to do it, because she never really used her power on non-living things, but she had suddenly become curious about her own strange attachment to Lion-O, and so, she closed her eyes and focused and soon she learned about the particular toymaker who had created her plushie.

* * *

_In her eyes, she saw a man well into his seventies with a balding grey head, a pair of thick glasses and a sweet, friendly smile. He was delivering his toys to a special store in Shizume City and as he came up to a traffic light, someone held a gun at him when he stopped as the light turned red._

_His window had been down and although he knew Shizume City could be dangerous, the toymaker had never really believed that he would be robbed like this in broad daylight. _

"_Hand over your cash, old man!" the bandit demanded. _

_Before the man could do anything, suddenly a fierce looking red haired man came up behind him, grabbed him by the back of his head and slammed his face into the ground._

_The man exuded the aura of a wild beast. He had wild hair and a dangerous look in his eyes as he had stalked toward the unsuspecting robber._

_He was like a fierce lion and the toymaker had been momentarily entranced. _

"_Don't go robbing old men," the red haired man snapped at the bandit who only groaned in response. _

"_Thank-" the old man began, but the red head cut him off. _

"_Get going. The light's changed,"_

_The man nodded quickly and drove off, but this man had become his inspiration for a new toy. This old man was also a strain, a special kind of strain who was able to make things that suited certain people best and whatever he crafted, even if he had someone else sell it, was often bought by the person whose personality suited it. It was a rather unique power and even when he had registered in Scepter 4 for it, they had found it difficult to categorize him. _

_And the craftsman was quite certain that this toy he was going to create was definitely going to belong to someone special. He had been very careful in choosing his materials. He chose the softest stuffing, the most soothing cloths, the best yarn. He had chosen materials that were of the 'finest' quality in terms of price. No, he had chosen quality based on durablity, long lastingness, the texture of the material and so on for he felt that this man he was basing the toy on was not the type impressed in anyway by money and that he tended to measure a man's worth by his capabilities and strength of character. _

_For many days, the toymaker toiled over his product. He stitched it up carefully, beautifully._

_He designed the plushie to be very cute, for he was quite certain that the man actually liked cute things but would never admit it._

_The toymaker had spent hours making this toy, crafting it to perfection. Sure, it was no perfect representation of the man's heart, but it represented the softness of him and the toymaker believed that the person who bought the toy would treasure it for he knew that his toys were destined for the people who they suited best. _

_In the eyes of the toymaker, he had seen and felt as though he was in the presence of a ferocious lion, who, despite his danger was actually very soft and compassionate inside._

_And that had been the inspiration for Lion-O; the compassion of a yakuza-like man, for him, a mere toymaker._

_The lion plushie had spent weeks on display. Ironically, no one had bought him. It wasn't as though they hadn't found him cute, it was just that parents found that red mane a bit too brilliant for their liking, even if their children didn't seem to mind._

_Then one day, a pale girl gazed at him and to her side was a tall, dangerous looking man._

_And suddenly, the plushie had found himself a home!_

* * *

"What are you doing?" Mikoto asked Anna.

He had turned around and had been observing the young girl who had been so engrossed with her toy that he had found himself becoming increasingly irked by the attention she paid to him. She carefully placed Lion-O on Mikoto's chest.

Mikoto glanced at the beady black eyes that stared back at him while Anna lay down and cuddled herself against Mikoto. His strong arm came around her and he buried his nose into her hair.

"Lion-O is special,"

Mikoto scowled, but Anna didn't see for her eyes were closed as she was encased in his warmth and safety.

He didn't want to know what was so special about that damned plushie. He glared at the thing she hugged under one arm and waited until he was certain that she was asleep to push it aside.

* * *

Lion-O became his name. It was a nice name. If the plushie was actually alive, he might have liked it. He might have also enjoyed being cuddled warmly by the little girl whose heart was comforted by the presence of this cute toy. In a way, it reminded her so much of her king and not just because of its red mane.

Lion-O, if he was a living thing, might have actually disliked some of the situations he ended up in; sometimes he would get shoved away into a corner, forgotten, all because the girl's King didn't like her closeness to him.

Sometimes he would get crushed to death by the King who hugged him as he slept sometimes when the princess was away.

Sometimes Lion-O got crushed between the pair of them. Their torsos would be pressed against each other and Lion-O would be smack in between them and the two of them sometimes liked to hug each other and grip each other tightly as they slept.

Ah, if Lion-O was really alive, he might have died from suffocation-one side was hard as a rock, and the other was soft as...well, probably as soft as he was.

He also might have had a terrible fear of the King who seemed to both like and hate him. After all, he was often used as a hostage to threaten the girl into doing something.

Lion-O would not have liked living life on the edge, in fear that one day he would end up a pile of ash. He might have developed an anxiety disorder or thrown himself in front of a passing vehicle to kill himself just so that he wouldn't have to bear the brunt of the threats to his life anymore (which, realistically speaking, was non existent because Mikoto never really intended to destroy him no matter how tempted he had often become).

Maybe he might have known that the red haired King wouldn't really incinerate him, but he would have sensed just how close he sometimes came to burning him.

But all in all, the King himself wasn't too bad.

He was a really a good person and he did like Lion-O as long as Anna did not choose to cuddle with him _instead_ of her King.

Sometimes cuddles weren't so bad for the plushie-after all, once his owner hugged her to him while her King locked her in his strong arms by having her back spooned against the hard wall of his torso, Lion-O was fine.

He wouldn't have minded the times he somehow ended up sleeping on top the King's head. It was a little joke Anna would play on Mikoto at his expense although he didn't really know it-whenever she awoke before him and she was home for the weekend, she would casually drape Lion-O on Mikoto's head so that Lion-O's chin rested atop Mikoto's red hair with his own red mane matching the King's. That was their only physical semblance, but the little girl did find it amusing. She would kneel beside her King for a little while and watch the two.

Then, she would leave the two like that and leave the room.

Lion-O, if a living thing, would not have liked to have suddenly been lifted from the King's head and held tightly (more like crushed to death), but he wouldn't have minded being cuddled afterward because the fierce King sometimes held him gently, the way he held his lovely princess.

The king did like him as long as Anna didn't show him (the plushie), preference.

All in all, had Lion-O been a living creature, he would have a traumatic but contrastingly good life.

But he wasn't alive. He was simply a toy, but a toy who provided much comfort to his owner and to a large extent, the owner's King.

* * *

**Hope you enjoy it and please look out for the sequel soon. **

**Thank you again for everyone who follow, favorite and review this story. I also realized when I looked over a couple of chapters, I had a lot of errors in my responses to some of the reviews. I apologize for that. It's just that sometimes I get so excited to post up the new chapter that I forget myself and don't double-check to ensure that there aren't any errors in my responses. Also, if I didn't respond to you, I apologize. I didn't mean to forget you, I probably accidentally skipped you when responding (but I love you anyway and appreciate your review).**

**For those who reviewed last time:**

_**magicalnana: I hope you do enjoy it :)**_

_**sereneskydragon: I will try my best to ensure that it is readable for most ages but I do admit that there is going to be some very suggestive material, probably throughout the entire story. Even if you have read more graphic stuff, I would feel guilty still about you reading graphic that I wrote. **_

_**Narunosuke-Namikaze-Uchiha: Yes, it's finally ovaaa! Yeah, exams are stressful but they serve a purpose :)**_

_**xNightDreamerx: Really, some of them die? That's heartbreaking. I'll go back to checking it out and prepare my heart for it :) I have a couple of ideas for the maid cafe, but I don't think it will play such a central role in the story though. Maybe it will, maybe it won't but I do have some ideas for it :)**_

_**mikotos: And thank you for sticking with it to the end! i appreciate that!**_

_**WitchyCloudPine: I am always grateful for such wonderful, awesome fans like yourself! Thanks for those kind words about the story, I appreciate them :)**_

_**Ashley xo: Thanks for the best wishes!**_

_**D: Hope you enjoy it when it comes out :)**_

_**xXxXxSayuri-chanxXxXx: Yes, it included the picture with Tatara singing Circle of Friends. And I do miss him a lot too. Sometimes when I write about him, I feel like crying T.T**_

_**Shiary: Thank you :)**_

_**nannerlovessnickers: Don't worry, it wasn't cheesy at all, and if you think it was cheesy, don't worry-I like cheese :P LOL. but thanks so much, and thanks for always reviewing. I look forward to hearing from you when I post up the sequel. **_

_**lilkitty: Thanks so much, I'm glad you enjoyed the story so much :)**_

_**Hodgeheg: Don't worry about not reviewing the previous chapter. Hair does hold a lot of sentimental value for a lot of people including myself. Wow, your hair's pretty long then?**_

_**Ambivalencia: Hello there, my dear. It has certainly been a while, but it's alright because I understand that you were probably busy. I do believe that I am going to disagree with you about the recent chapters were a bit boring. I am not disagreeing with you because I don't want to think badly of my story in anyway, I am also basing my disagreement with you not only on my own opinion (because I wrote this story in such a way that I would like to read it back as well) but also on that of the other reviewers many of who were actually quite satisfied and pointed out to me what exactly made them pleased. Perhaps it is a matter of perspective, such as if you were looking out for some fluff, or if you were expecting something to happen and it didn't then I can understand that particularly in the last two chapters, you were disappointed and probably found it dull. It's alright though, I'm not offended and I do appreciate your opinion. Hope to hear from you in the sequel :)**_

_**Little Weirdo: Sequel will be out soon, and I do look forward to hearing your thoughts on it :)**_

_**Kuramaxchan: Bonjour à nouveau! Merci d'avoir lu cette histoire même si elle n'est pas dans votre langue maternelle! J'apprécie vraiment votre goût pour l'OC de et je suis heureux que vous compreniez aussi la partie sur Anna couper ses cheveux. Merci encore et espèrent que vous apprécierez également la suite :)**_

_**Flower 117: Hi there, and I'm glad that you can also relate cutting off your hair as personal changes in your own life as well. I'm also pleased that you appreciated Iwao in that way because he really was a tortured man in the end. I had originally planned for him to be this really, really cruel, awful person but I just couldn't do it because it involved thinking up some really dark, crazy stuff that just wasn't pleasant for me at all. I think you'll really like the sequel for Anna and Mikoto ;)**_

_**Mienchan-ish: Yes, it did, but soon it will continue :)**_

_**ladeste: Thanks so much for those kind words! I'm trying to get the sequel to be as up to mark as possible!**_

_**creativeactive: And now I gave you a bonus chapter :) Haha. I had intended to end it at chapter 47 but I wanted to round things up a bit better to prepare it for the sequel so I added in the epilogue.**_

_**TheRoseShadow21: 8 exams?! Damn, I wish you all the luck! Will pray for you :) Thanks so much for your kind words, as always, they are appreciated and they do inspire me to want to give my very best!**_

_**AndieVC: Hi there, and thanks so much for your lovely words about the story. I hope you enjoy the sequel :)**_

_**Wina: I am glad you enjoyed the story and I hope you like the sequel as well :)**_

_**ellywhite: I'm gonna give you a *wink* and a little *hint* *hint* There's more on Kei to come in the sequel and probably toward the very end, you would understand...;)**_

**So, please look out for the sequel coming up soon. This chapter is dedicated to all my readers who loved Lion-O because I love him a lot too :)**

**Thanks for reading and maybe tomorrow or the following day, the first chapter of the sequel will be posted up. **

**God bless :)**

**PS: I'm curious, what was your favorite scene in this entire story? **


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